Where does “bessern” come from?
bessern (German) comes from German besser, from German Besserwisser, from German wissen, from Middle High German wiȥȥen, from Old High German wiȥȥan, from Proto-West Germanic wītan, from Proto-Germanic *witaną, from Proto-Indo-European wóyde — to see.
bessern (German): to improve, to better
Definitions
- to improve, to better
Ancestry of “bessern”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | besser | comparative degree of gut; better; inflection of... |
| 2 | German | Besserwisser | know-it-all, wiseguy, wiseacre, smart aleck |
| 3 | German | wissen | to know; to be aware of; to remember |
| 4 | Middle High German | wiȥȥen | to know |
| 5 | Old High German | wiȥȥan | to know |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | wītan | to accuse, to blame |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *witaną | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wóyde | to have seen, to know |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | weyd- | to see |