Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Rein” come from?

Rein (German) comes from Middle High German reine, from Old High German reini, from Proto-West Germanic hrainī, from Proto-Germanic hrainiz, from Proto-Indo-European króy-n-is, from Proto-Indo-European krey- — to sift, separate, divide.

Ancestry of “Rein”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanreine—
2Old High Germanreini—
3Proto-West Germanichrainīclean; pure
4Proto-Germanichrainizclean, not dirty; pure; innocent
5Proto-Indo-Europeankróy-n-is—
6Proto-Indo-Europeankrey-to sift, separate, divide

Words derived from “Rein”

  • Reinelement
Every word from Proto-Indo-European krey- →