Where does “have” come from?
have (Middle Dutch) comes from Middle English hawe, from Old English haga, from Old English wīc, from German witz, from Middle High German witz, from Old High German wizzi, from Proto-West Germanic wītī, from Proto-Germanic witją — to see.
Ancestry of “have”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hawe | A field surrounded by fencing or other boundaries... |
| 2 | Old English | haga | an enclosure, a fenced-in area, a yard |
| 3 | Old English | wīc | dwelling place, abode; abode, dwelling-place;... |
| 4 | German | witz | — |
| 5 | Middle High German | witz | — |
| 6 | Old High German | wizzi | — |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | wītī | punishment |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | witją | knowledge; reason; sense; understanding; wit |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | *witaną | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | wóyde | to have seen, to know |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | weyd- | to see |
Words derived from “have”