Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Entspannung” come from?

Entspannung (German) comes from German entspannen, from German spannen, from Middle High German spannen, from Old High German spannan, from Proto-Germanic spannaną — to stretch, span.

Entspannung (German): relaxation; recreation; catharsis

Definitions

  1. relaxation; recreation; catharsis

Ancestry of “Entspannung”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanentspannento relax
2Germanspannento stretch; to tighten; to tension
3Middle High Germanspannento stretch, tighten
4Old High Germanspannan—
5Proto-Germanicspannanąto stretch, span
Every word from Proto-Germanic spannaną →