Where does “befehlen” come from?
befehlen (Low German) comes from Middle Low German bevēlen, from Old Saxon bifelhan, from Proto-West Germanic bifelhan, from Proto-West Germanic felhan, from Proto-Germanic felhaną, from Proto-Indo-European pele(w)-.
befehlen (Low German): To order, command
Ancestry of “befehlen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle Low German | bevēlen | — |
| 2 | Old Saxon | bifelhan | to recommend; to give over; to confide |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | bifelhan | to recommend, advise; to entrust, confide; to... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | felhan | to push in |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | felhaną | to enter, to go inside; to put inside, to... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pele(w)- | — |