Where does “Graben” come from?

Graben (German) comes from German graben, from Middle High German graben, from Old High German graban, from Proto-West Germanic graban, from Proto-Germanic grabaną, from Proto-Indo-European gʰrābʰ- — to dig, scratch, scrape.

Graben (German): ditch; trench; graben

Definitions

  1. ditch; trench; graben

Ancestry of “Graben”, step by step

Graben traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German graben

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germangrabento dig; to burrow
2Middle High Germangrabento dig
3Old High Germangraban—
4Proto-West Germanicgrabanto dig; to engrave
5Proto-Germanicgrabanąto dig; to engrave, scratch
6Proto-Indo-Europeangʰrābʰ-to dig, scratch, scrape

via Middle High German grabe

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germangrabe—
2Old High Germangraboditch
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰrābʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic grabaną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic graban →
Graben — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer