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 ; can; to be allowed ; to be permitted...
Definitions
- to be able ; can; to be allowed ; to be permitted...
Ancestry of “können”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | künnen | — |
| 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 |
Words derived from “können”