Where does “eat” come from?

Eat comes from Middle English eten, from Old English eoten, from Proto-Germanic etunaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₁ed-, a root meaning to eat or consume.

eat (English): To ingest

Definitions

  1. To ingest

Ancestry of “eat”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishetenTo eat, devour; To consume or have a meal; To...
2Old Englisheotengiant, monster
3Proto-Germanicetunazan overeater, glutton; a giant
4Proto-Germanicetanąto eat
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁édtito eat
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁ed-to eat

Words derived from “eat”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁ed- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁édti →Every word from Proto-Germanic etaną →