Where does “können” come from?
können (German) comes from Middle High German künnen, from Old High German kunnan, from Proto-West Germanic kunnan, from Proto-Germanic kunnaną, from Proto-Indo-European ǵneh₃- — to know.
können (German): to be able (to do or be something), to have the possibility of, can
Definitions
- to be able (to do or be something), to have the possibility of, can
Ancestry of “können”, step by step
können traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle High German künnen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | künnen | to know |
| 2 | Old High German | kunnan | to be able to |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | kunnan | to recognise; to know how, to be able |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | kunnaną | to know, to be familiar with, to recognise; to... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵneh₃- | to know |
via Old Saxon kunnan
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Saxon | kunnan | to know, to be familiar with; can, to know how |