Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “zäh” come from?

zäh (German) comes from Middle High German zæhe, from Old High German zāh, from Proto-Germanic *tą̄h(ī), from Proto-Germanic tanhuz, from Proto-Indo-European denḱ- — to bite.

zäh (German): not easily yielding, resilient

Definitions

  1. not easily yielding, resilient

Ancestry of “zäh”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanzæhe—
2Old High Germanzāh—
3Proto-Germanic*tą̄h(ī)—
4Proto-Germanictanhuzholding together; clinging; sticky; tenacious;...
5Proto-Indo-Europeandenḱ-to bite

Words derived from “zäh”

  • Zähflüssigkeit
  • zähflüssig
  • zähfließend
  • superzäh
Every word from Proto-Indo-European denḱ- →