Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “hellen” come from?

hellen (German) comes from Middle High German hëllen, from Old High German hëllan, from Proto-Germanic hellaną, from Proto-Indo-European ḱelh₁- — to warm up, to be hot; to warm up, be hot.

hellen (German): to brighten

Definitions

  1. to brighten

Ancestry of “hellen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanhëllen—
2Old High Germanhëllan—
3Proto-Germanichellanąto resound, make a sound
4Proto-Indo-Europeanḱelh₁-to warm up, to be hot; to warm up, be hot

Words derived from “hellen”

  • erhellen
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱelh₁- →