Where does “hängenlassen” come from?
hängenlassen (German) comes from German lassen, from Middle High German lāzen, from Old High German lāzan, from Proto-West Germanic lātan, from Proto-Germanic lētaną, from Proto-Indo-European leh₁d- — to be tired.
hängenlassen (German): to leave someone high and dry, to hang out to dry, to let someone down
Definitions
- to leave someone high and dry, to hang out to dry, to let someone down
Ancestry of “hängenlassen”, step by step
hängenlassen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German lassen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | lassen | to allow; to permit; to let |
| 2 | Middle High German | lāzen | — |
| 3 | Old High German | lāzan | to let, let go, leave; to let, let go, release |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | lātan | to let, to allow; to leave alone |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | lētaną | to let, to allow; to leave alone |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | leh₁d- | to be tired |