Where does “kern” come from?
kern (German) comes from Middle High German kerne, from Old High German kerno, from Proto-Germanic kernô, from Proto-Indo-European ǵr̥h₂nóm, from Proto-Indo-European ǵr̥h₂nós, from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- — to grow old, to mature.
Ancestry of “kern”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | kerne | — |
| 2 | Old High German | kerno | core; pith |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | kernô | kernel, core |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵr̥h₂nóm | grain |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵr̥h₂nós | matured, grown old |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵerh₂- | to grow old, to mature |