Where does “loskaufen” come from?

loskaufen (German) comes from German los-, from German lōs, from Old High German lōs, from Proto-West Germanic laus, from Proto-Germanic lausaz, from Proto-Indo-European lewH- — louse.

loskaufen (German): to ransom (someone)

Definitions

  1. to ransom (someone)

Ancestry of “loskaufen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanlos-A verb prefix
2Germanlōs—
3Old High Germanlōsloose; free; lacking; sly, deceitful
4Proto-West Germaniclausloose, free
5Proto-Germaniclausazloose, free; empty, devoid; false, untrue
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanlewH-louse
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewH- →Every word from Proto-Germanic lausaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic laus →