Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “abnehmen” come from?

abnehmen (German) comes from Middle High German abenemen, from Old High German abaneman, from Proto-Germanic abanemaną, from Proto-Germanic nemaną, from Proto-Indo-European nem- — to distribute; to give, to take.

abnehmen (German): to take off; to take; to take away, to take over

Definitions

  1. to take off; to take; to take away, to take over

Ancestry of “abnehmen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanabenemen—
2Old High Germanabaneman—
3Proto-Germanicabanemanąto take away, remove
4Proto-Germanicnemanąto take
5Proto-Indo-Europeannem-to distribute; to give, to take
Every word from Proto-Indo-European nem- →