Where does “zwingen” come from?

zwingen (German) comes from Middle High German twingen, from Old High German dwingan, from Proto-West Germanic þwingan, from Proto-Germanic þwinhaną, from Proto-Indo-European twenk- — to press, squeeze; to squeeze, press, pressure.

zwingen (German): to force; to compel; to make; to necessitate; to...

Definitions

  1. to force; to compel; to make; to necessitate; to...

Ancestry of “zwingen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germantwingen—
2Old High Germandwinganconstrict, tie (together)
3Proto-West Germanicþwinganto constrain; to force
4Proto-Germanicþwinhanąto constrain; to force
5Proto-Indo-Europeantwenk-to press, squeeze; to squeeze, press, pressure

Words derived from “zwingen”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European twenk- →Every word from Proto-Germanic þwinhaną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic þwingan →