Where does “bestehlen” come from?
bestehlen (German) comes from German stehlen, from Middle High German stëln, from Old High German stelan, from Proto-Germanic stelaną, from Proto-Indo-European tsel- — to sneak.
bestehlen (German): to steal from, to rob
Ancestry of “bestehlen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | stehlen | to steal; to skulk, to move secretly |
| 2 | Middle High German | stëln | — |
| 3 | Old High German | stelan | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | stelaną | to steal; to sneak |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | tsel- | to sneak |