Where does “verstehen” come from?

Verstehen comes from Middle High German verstān, Old High German firstēn, and Proto-Germanic frastāną, tracing back through Germanic languages of increasing antiquity.

verstehen (English): A stance that attempts to understand the meaning...

Definitions

  1. A stance that attempts to understand the meaning...

Ancestry of “verstehen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanVerstehengerund of verstehen; comprehension
2Middle High Germanverstān—
3Old High Germanfirstān—
4Proto-Germanicfrastāną—
Every word from Proto-Germanic frastāną →Every word from Old High German firstān →Every word from Middle High German verstān →