Where does “schërzen” come from?
schërzen (German) comes from Middle High German schërzen, from Old High German skërzan, from Proto-Germanic skertaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kerǝd- — to dance, jump.
Ancestry of “schërzen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | schërzen | — |
| 2 | Old High German | skërzan | to jump merrily, enjoy oneself, jest |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | skertaną | to cut off; to leap, jump, spring; to jest, joke |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kerǝd- | to dance, jump |