Where does “find” come from?
Find comes from Middle English finden, from Old English findan, from Proto-Germanic finþaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pent-, a root meaning to go or pass.
find (English): To encounter or discover by accident; to happen...
Definitions
- To encounter or discover by accident; to happen...
Ancestry of “find”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | finden | to find; to discover |
| 2 | Old English | findan | to find, meet |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | finþan | to find, to discover, to come upon |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | finþaną | to find, to discover, to come upon |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | pent- | to pass; path |
Words derived from “find”