Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Sehnsucht” come from?

Sehnsucht (English) comes from German Sehnsucht, from German Sücht, from Middle High German suht, from Old High German suht, from Proto-Germanic suhtiz, from Proto-Germanic -þiz, from Proto-Indo-European -tis — Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots.

Sehnsucht (English): Tender, wistful, and/or melancholic desire;...

Definitions

  1. Tender, wistful, and/or melancholic desire;...

Ancestry of “Sehnsucht”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanSehnsuchtyearning, longing; pining
2GermanSücht—
3Middle High Germansuht—
4Old High Germansuht—
5Proto-Germanicsuhtizsickness
6Proto-Germanic-þizForms abstract nouns from verb roots, usually...
7Proto-Indo-European-tisDerives abstract/action nouns from verb roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tis →