Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “neid” come from?

neid (German) comes from Middle High German nīt, from Old High German nīd, from Old English nīþ, from Proto-Germanic nīþą, from Proto-Indo-European neyH- — to lead.

Ancestry of “neid”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germannīt—
2Old High Germannīd—
3Old Englishnīþenvy, hatred, malice, spite, jealousy; envy,...
4Proto-Germanicnīþąhate, envy, malice
5Proto-Indo-EuropeanneyH-to lead
Every word from Proto-Indo-European neyH- →