Where does “niederknien” come from?

niederknien (German) comes from German nieder-, from German nieder, from Middle High German nider, from Old High German nidar, from Proto-Germanic niþer, from Proto-Indo-European niter.

niederknien (German): to kneel down, to genuflect

Definitions

  1. to kneel down, to genuflect

Ancestry of “niederknien”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germannieder-A prefix; equivalent to down-
2Germanniederlow; mean; menial
3Middle High Germannider—
4Old High Germannidardown
5Proto-Germanicniþerdown, downwards
6Proto-Indo-Europeanniter—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European niter →Every word from Proto-Germanic niþer →Every word from Old High German nidar →