Where does “antworten” come from?
antworten (German) comes from Middle High German antwürten, from Old High German antwurten, from Proto-West Germanic *andawurdijan, from Proto-Germanic andawurdijaną, from Proto-Germanic andawurdiją, from Proto-Germanic anda-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énti, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énts — on, onto.
antworten (German): to answer, to reply
Ancestry of “antworten”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | antwürten | — |
| 2 | Old High German | antwurten | to answer |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *andawurdijan | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | andawurdijaną | to answer |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | andawurdiją | answer, reply |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | anda- | against, opposing; un-, de- |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énti | opposite; near; in front |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |