Where does “abschweifen” come from?
abschweifen (German) comes from German schweifen, from Middle High German sweifen, from Old High German sweifan, from Proto-West Germanic swaipan, from Proto-Germanic swaipaną, from Proto-Indo-European kswoybʰ-e-ti, from Proto-Indo-European ksweybʰ- — to move swiftly, make a swift movement; to swing,...
abschweifen (German): to digress
Ancestry of “abschweifen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | schweifen | to wander, to rove; to curve |
| 2 | Middle High German | sweifen | — |
| 3 | Old High German | sweifan | to wind |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | swaipan | to sweep |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | swaipaną | to sweep; to sway, swing; to cast, fling |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kswoybʰ-e-ti | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ksweybʰ- | to move swiftly, make a swift movement; to swing,... |
Words derived from “abschweifen”