Where does “listen” come from?

Listen comes from Middle English listenen, Old English hlysnan, Proto-Germanic hlusnōną and hlusēną, tracing ultimately to Proto-Indo-European ḱlew- and ḱel-.

listen (English): To pay attention to a sound or speech; To expect...

Definitions

  1. To pay attention to a sound or speech; To expect...

Ancestry of “listen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishlistenen
2Old Englishhlysnanto listen
3Proto-Germanichlusnijaną
4Proto-Germanichlusēną
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱlew-to hear
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱel-to cover; to incline

Words derived from “listen

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱel-Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱlew-Every word from Proto-Germanic hlusēną