Where does “undertaking” come from?
Undertaking comes from Middle English undertaken, the past participle of undertake, meaning to commit oneself to a task or enterprise.
undertaking (English): The business of an undertaker, or the management...
Definitions
- The business of an undertaker, or the management...
Ancestry of “undertaking”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | undertake | To take upon oneself; to start, to embark on; To... |
| 2 | Middle English | undertaken | To pledge; to assert, assure; to dare say |
| 3 | Middle English | taken | to take; Alternative form of token; Alternative... |
| 4 | Old English | tācen | — |
| 5 | Old Norse | tekinn | past participle of taka; take, took, taken |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | tēkanaz | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | tēkaną | to touch; to grasp |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₁g- | to touch |