Where does “rien” come from?

rien (Middle Dutch) comes from Old Dutch rīan, from Proto-Germanic rīhaną, from Proto-Indo-European h₁reyḱ — to break, scratch.

rien (Middle Dutch): to sew together, to put a thread through

Definitions

  1. to sew together, to put a thread through

Ancestry of “rien”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Dutchrīan—
2Proto-Germanicrīhanąto line up, to string together
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁reyḱto break, scratch
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁reyḱ →Every word from Proto-Germanic rīhaną →Every word from Old Dutch rīan →