Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “schlafen” come from?

schlafen (German) comes from Middle High German slāfen, from Old High German slāfan, from Proto-West Germanic slāpan, from Proto-Germanic slēpaną, from Proto-Indo-European slab- — to be weak, be languid; be weak, limp, languid.

schlafen (German): to sleep; to sleep on something; to wait and...

Definitions

  1. to sleep; to sleep on something; to wait and...

Ancestry of “schlafen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanslāfen—
2Old High Germanslāfan—
3Proto-West Germanicslāpanto sleep
4Proto-Germanicslēpanąto sleep
5Proto-Indo-Europeanslab-to be weak, be languid; be weak, limp, languid

Words derived from “schlafen”

  • Schlafsaal
  • schlafmützig
  • Schlafmütze
  • ausschlafen
  • Schlafanzug
  • durchschlafen
  • einschlafen
  • entschlafen
  • Schlaftablette
  • Schlafstörung
Every word from Proto-Indo-European slab- →