Where does “sink” come from?
Sink comes from Old English sincan, from Proto-Germanic sinkwaną, from Proto-Indo-European sengʷ-, a root of uncertain original meaning.
sink (English): "To move or be moved into something."; "To...
Definitions
- "To move or be moved into something."; "To...
Ancestry of “sink”, step by step
sink traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German zink
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | zink | singular imperative of zinken; first-person... |
| 2 | Middle High German | zinke | tine, prong |
| 3 | Old High German | zinko | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | tindaz | tooth; cog; peg; tine; nail; spike; prong; peak;... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃dónts | tooth |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁ed- | to eat |
via Middle English synken
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | synken | to sink (to embed) |
| 2 | Old English | sincan | to sink |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | sinkwan | to sink |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | sinkwaną | to sink |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | sengʷ- | to sink; to fall; to drop |
Words derived from “sink”