Where does “nein danke” come from?
nein danke (German) comes from German danke, from German danken, from Middle High German danken, from Old High German dankōn, from Proto-West Germanic *þankōn, from Proto-Germanic þankōną, from Proto-Germanic þankaz, from Proto-Indo-European teng- — to think.
nein danke (German): no thank you
Definitions
- no thank you
Ancestry of “nein danke”, step by step
nein danke traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German danke
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | danke | inflection of danken: ## first-person singular... |
| 2 | German | danken | to thank |
| 3 | Middle High German | danken | — |
| 4 | Old High German | dankōn | to thank |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *þankōn | to thank |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | þankōną | to thank |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | þankaz | thought; mind; consideration; remembrance;... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | teng- | to think |