Where does “haben” come from?
haben (German) comes from Middle High German han, from Old High German hano, from Proto-West Germanic hanō, from Proto-Germanic hanô, from Proto-Indo-European kan- — to sing; hemp.
Ancestry of “haben”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | han | — |
| 2 | Old High German | hano | cock , rooster |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | hanō | cock, rooster |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hanô | rooster, cock |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kan- | to sing; hemp |