Where does “verdanken” come from?
verdanken (German) comes from German Ver-, from Middle High German ver-, from Proto-Germanic fra-, from Proto-Indo-European pro-, from Proto-Indo-European por-, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.
verdanken (German): to owe
Ancestry of “verdanken”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | Ver- | — |
| 2 | Middle High German | ver- | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | fra- | off, away; completely, fully, up |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |