Where does “helfen” come from?
helfen (German) comes from Middle High German hëlfen, from Old High German helfan, from Proto-West Germanic helpan, from Proto-Germanic helpaną, from Proto-Indo-European ḱelb- — help.
Ancestry of “helfen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | hëlfen | — |
| 2 | Old High German | helfan | to help |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | helpan | to help |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | helpaną | to help |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱelb- | help |