Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “nest” come from?

nest (German) comes from Middle High German nest, from Old High German nest, from Proto-West Germanic nest, from Proto-Germanic nestą, from Proto-Indo-European nisdós, from Proto-Indo-European h₁ni, from Proto-Indo-European h₁én — in.

Ancestry of “nest”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germannest—
2Old High Germannest—
3Proto-West Germanicnestnest
4Proto-Germanicnestąnest; provisions; food and supplies
5Proto-Indo-Europeannisdósnest
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁nidown
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →