Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “necken” come from?

necken (German) comes from German nagen, from Middle High German nagen, from Old High German nagan, from Proto-West Germanic gnagan, from Proto-Germanic gnaganą, from Proto-Indo-European gʰnēgʰ- — to gnaw, scratch.

necken (German): to tease

Definitions

  1. to tease

Ancestry of “necken”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germannagento gnaw
2Middle High Germannagen—
3Old High Germannagan—
4Proto-West Germanicgnaganto gnaw
5Proto-Germanicgnaganąto gnaw
6Proto-Indo-Europeangʰnēgʰ-to gnaw, scratch

Words derived from “necken”

  • necke
  • neckisch
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰnēgʰ- →