Where does “behalten” come from?

behalten (German) comes from Middle High German behalten, from Old High German bihaltan, from Proto-West Germanic bihaldan, from Proto-West Germanic haldan, from Proto-Germanic haldaną, from Proto-Indo-European kel- — to hit; beat; to pierce, to stab; goblet.

behalten (German): to keep, to retain (money, items, etc. in one's possession)

Definitions

  1. to keep, to retain (money, items, etc. in one's possession)

Ancestry of “behalten”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanbehalten—
2Old High Germanbihaltan—
3Proto-West Germanicbihaldanto keep
4Proto-West Germanichaldanto hold; to keep
5Proto-Germanichaldanąto hold, to keep
6Proto-Indo-Europeankel-to hit; beat; to pierce, to stab; goblet

Words derived from “behalten”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European kel- →Every word from Proto-Germanic haldaną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic haldan →