Where does “niet” come from?
niet (Middle Dutch) comes from Old Dutch niewiht, from Old Dutch wiht, from Proto-Germanic wihtą, from Proto-Indo-European wekti-, from Proto-Indo-European wekʷ- — to speak, to sound out.
niet (Middle Dutch): not; nothing
Ancestry of “niet”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Dutch | niewiht | — |
| 2 | Old Dutch | wiht | thing, creature |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | wihtą | thing, creature |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | wekti- | object, thing; thing; cause, sake, thing |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wekʷ- | to speak, to sound out |
Words derived from “niet”