Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Amen” come from?

Amen (English) comes from German Ammann, from German Amtmann, from German amt, from Middle High German ambahte, from Old High German ambahti, from Proto-Germanic ambahtaz, from Gaulish ambaxtos, from Proto-Celtic ambaxtos — to drive.

Ancestry of “Amen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanAmmann—
2GermanAmtmann—
3Germanamt—
4Middle High Germanambahte—
5Old High Germanambahtiposition, office
6Proto-Germanicambahtazservant
7Gaulishambaxtosvassal, high-ranking servant
8Proto-Celticambaxtosservant
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eǵ-to drive
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- →