Where does “sneak” come from?

Sneak comes from Middle English sniken, from Old English snīcan, from Proto-West Germanic snīkan, from Proto-Germanic snīkaną, from Proto-Indo-European sneyg-.

sneak (English): One who sneaks; one who moves stealthily to...

Definitions

  1. One who sneaks; one who moves stealthily to...

Ancestry of “sneak”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsnikento creep, crawl
2Old Englishsnīcanto creep, crawl; to creep; crawl
3Proto-West Germanicsnīkanto crawl; to creep
4Proto-Germanicsnīkanąto crawl; to creep
5Proto-Indo-Europeansneyg-to crawl

Words derived from “sneak”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European sneyg- →Every word from Proto-Germanic snīkaną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic snīkan →
sneak — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer