Where does “nachdenken” come from?

nachdenken (German) comes from German nach, from Middle High German nāh, from Old High German nāh, from Proto-Germanic nēhwiz, from Proto-Germanic nēhw, from Proto-Germanic nēhwaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂nḗḱwos, from Proto-Indo-European h₂neḱ- — to reach, to attain.

nachdenken (German): to think, to reflect, to ponder

Definitions

  1. to think, to reflect, to ponder

Ancestry of “nachdenken”, step by step

nachdenken traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German nach

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germannachafter, past; after, behind; to, towards
2Middle High Germannāh
3Old High Germannāhnear, close; close, near
4Proto-Germanicnēhwizcloser, nearer
5Proto-Germanicnēhwnear, close
6Proto-Germanicnēhwaznear, close
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂nḗḱwos
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂neḱ-to reach, to attain

via German denken

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germandenkento think; to think about; not to forget; to...
2Middle High Germandenken
3Old High Germandenkento think
4Proto-West Germanicþankijanto think
5Proto-Germanicþankijanąto perceive, to think
6Proto-Indo-Europeanteng-to think

Words derived from “nachdenken

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂neḱ-Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂nḗḱwosEvery word from Proto-Germanic nēhwaz