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

  1. To encounter or discover by accident; to happen...

Ancestry of “find”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfindento find; to discover
2Old Englishfindanto find, meet
3Proto-West Germanicfinþanto find, to discover, to come upon
4Proto-Germanicfinþanąto find, to discover, to come upon
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpent-to pass; path

Words derived from “find

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pent-