Where does “verstehen” come from?

verstehen (German) comes from Middle High German verstān, from Old High German firstān, from Proto-Germanic frastāną.

verstehen (German): to understand, comprehend; to know, know how to,...

Definitions

  1. to understand, comprehend; to know, know how to,...

Ancestry of “verstehen”, step by step

verstehen traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle High German verstān

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanverstān—
2Old High Germanfirstān—
3Proto-Germanicfrastāną—

via Middle High German vorstēn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanvorstēn—
2Old High Germanfirstēn—

via Middle High German ferstān

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanferstān—

Words derived from “verstehen”

Every word from Proto-Germanic frastāną →Every word from Old High German firstān →Every word from Middle High German verstān →