Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “wetzen” come from?

wetzen (German) comes from Old High German wezzen, from Proto-West Germanic hwattjan, from Proto-Germanic hwatjaną, from Proto-Indo-European kʷeh₁d- — to stab.

wetzen (German): to whet, to sharpen

Definitions

  1. to whet, to sharpen

Ancestry of “wetzen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanwezzen—
2Proto-West Germanichwattjanto sharpen, whet
3Proto-Germanichwatjanąto sharpen; whet; to instigate; incite
4Proto-Indo-Europeankʷeh₁d-to stab
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷeh₁d- →