Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “beginnen” come from?

beginnen (German) comes from Middle High German beginnen, from Old High German biginnan, from Proto-West Germanic *biginnan, from Proto-Germanic biginnaną, from Proto-Germanic bi-, from Proto-Germanic bi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂m̥bʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂n̥tbʰi — on, onto.

beginnen (German): to begin; to commence; to be started; to start...

Definitions

  1. to begin; to commence; to be started; to start...

Ancestry of “beginnen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanbeginnento begin
2Old High Germanbiginnanto begin
3Proto-West Germanic*biginnan—
4Proto-Germanicbiginnanąto begin
5Proto-Germanicbi-by, at
6Proto-Germanicbiby, at; near, around
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂m̥bʰiaround, on either side of, about; in exchange...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂n̥tbʰi—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntsforehead; front
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ent-face; forehead; front
11Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →