Where does “soak” come from?

Soak comes from Middle English soken, from Old English socian, from Proto-Germanic sukōną and sūkaną, tracing back to Proto-Indo-European roots sug- and sew-.

soak (English): To be saturated with liquid by being immersed in...

Definitions

To be saturated with liquid by being immersed in...

Ancestry of “soak”, step by step

soak traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English soken

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Middle English	soken	Alternative form of souken
2	Old English	socian	to soak, steep
3	Proto-Germanic	sukōną	to soak
4	Proto-Germanic	sūkaną	to suck; to suckle
5	Proto-Indo-European	sug-	—
6	Proto-Indo-European	sew-	to press out, extract; juice; liquid, rain; to...

via Dutch zwak

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Dutch	zwak	weak; shabby; soft spot
2	Middle Dutch	swac	—
3	Old Dutch	swak	—
4	Proto-West Germanic	swak	swinging; swaying; yielding easily; pliable; weak
5	Proto-Indo-European	swe(n)g-	—

Words derived from “soak”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European sew- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European sug- →Every word from Proto-Germanic sūkaną →