Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Sein” come from?

Sein (German) comes from Middle High German sein, from Old High German sīn, from Proto-West Germanic sinn, from Proto-Germanic sinnaz, from Proto-Indo-European sentnós, from Proto-Indo-European sent-, from Proto-Indo-European h₁es- — to be.

Sein (German): existence, being, essence

Definitions

  1. existence, being, essence

Ancestry of “Sein”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germansein—
2Old High Germansīnhis; to be
3Proto-West Germanicsinnsense, perception; sense, meaning; reason, mental...
4Proto-Germanicsinnazsense, perception; sense, meaning
5Proto-Indo-Europeansentnós—
6Proto-Indo-Europeansent-to head for, to go, to travel; to feel
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁es-to be

Words derived from “Sein”

  • Seinsstufung
  • handelseinig
  • Mitwissersein
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁es- →