Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “taught” come from?

taught (English) comes from Middle English taught, from Old English tēon, from Old English tēohan, from Proto-West Germanic teuhan, from Proto-Germanic teuhaną, from Proto-Indo-European dewk- — to pull, to draw; to lead.

taught (English): simple past tense and past participle of teach

Definitions

  1. simple past tense and past participle of teach

Ancestry of “taught”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtaught—
2Old Englishtēonto drag, draw, pull; to train, discipline; to...
3Old Englishtēohan—
4Proto-West Germanicteuhanto pull; to lead
5Proto-Germanicteuhanąto lead; to pull behind oneself, draw, drag
6Proto-Indo-Europeandewk-to pull, to draw; to lead

Words derived from “taught”

  • untaught
  • taughtest
  • self-taught
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dewk- →