Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “rächen” come from?

rächen (German) comes from Middle High German rechen, from Old High German rehhan, from Proto-West Germanic rekan, from Proto-Germanic rekaną, from Proto-Indo-European h₃rḗǵs, from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- — to straighten, to right oneself; right; just.

rächen (German): to revenge; to avenge; to take revenge; to avenge...

Definitions

  1. to revenge; to avenge; to take revenge; to avenge...

Ancestry of “rächen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanrechen—
2Old High Germanrehhan—
3Proto-West Germanicrekanto rake up, to pile up, to heap up
4Proto-Germanicrekanąto rake up, to pile up, to heap up
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃rḗǵsking, ruler
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃reǵ-to straighten, to right oneself; right; just

Words derived from “rächen”

  • Rächerin
  • Rächer
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- →