Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “retten” come from?

retten (German) comes from Middle High German retten, from Old High German retten, from Proto-West Germanic hraddjan, from Proto-Germanic hradjaną, from Proto-Indo-European ḱret-.

retten (German): to save, to rescue

Definitions

  1. to save, to rescue

Ancestry of “retten”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanretten—
2Old High Germanretten—
3Proto-West Germanichraddjanto save, to rescue
4Proto-Germanichradjanąto loosen; set free; deliver; rescue; save
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱret-—

Words derived from “retten”

  • rettet
  • unrettbar
  • lebensrettend
  • rettend
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱret- →