Where does “teach” come from?

Teach comes from Middle English techen, from Old English tǣċan, from Proto-Germanic taikijaną, from Proto-Indo-European deyḱ-, meaning to show or point out.

teach (English): To show the way; to guide, conduct; to point,...

Definitions

  1. To show the way; to guide, conduct; to point,...

Ancestry of “teach”, step by step

teach traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English techen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtechento teach
2Old Englishtǣċanto show, point out; to show, declare,...
3Proto-West Germanictaikijan
4Proto-Germanictaikijanąto show, point out, teach
5Proto-Indo-Europeandeyḱ-to point out

via English teacher

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishteacherA person who teaches, especially one employed in...
2Middle Englishtechere

Words derived from “teach

Every word from Proto-Indo-European deyḱ-
teach — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer