Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “rank” come from?

rank (German) comes from Middle Low German rank, from Proto-Germanic rankaz, from Proto-Indo-European reǵ- — to bind; straight, direct; straight, right.

rank (German): lithe, lissome; singular imperative of ranken

Definitions

  1. lithe, lissome; singular imperative of ranken

Ancestry of “rank”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Low Germanrank—
2Proto-Germanicrankazerect, upright
3Proto-Indo-Europeanreǵ-to bind; straight, direct; straight, right
Every word from Proto-Indo-European reǵ- →