Where does “begehrenswert” come from?
begehrenswert (German) comes from German begehren, from Middle High German begern, from Middle High German be-, from Old High German bi-, from Proto-Germanic bi-, from Proto-Germanic bi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂m̥bʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂n̥tbʰi — on, onto.
begehrenswert (German): desirable, attractive
Ancestry of “begehrenswert”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | begehren | to desire |
| 2 | Middle High German | begern | — |
| 3 | Middle High German | be- | — |
| 4 | Old High German | bi- | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bi- | by, at |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | bi | by, at; near, around |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂m̥bʰi | around, on either side of, about; in exchange... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂n̥tbʰi | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |