Etymology Explorer › Middle Dutch

Where does “slapen” come from?

slapen (Middle Dutch) comes from Old Dutch slāpan, from Proto-West Germanic slāpan, from Proto-Germanic slēpaną, from Proto-Indo-European slab- — to be weak, be languid; be weak, limp, languid.

Ancestry of “slapen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Dutchslāpan—
2Proto-West Germanicslāpanto sleep
3Proto-Germanicslēpanąto sleep
4Proto-Indo-Europeanslab-to be weak, be languid; be weak, limp, languid

Words derived from “slapen”

  • slapenstijd
  • slaapbank
  • slaapmuts
  • slaapzak
  • slapen
  • uitslapen
  • slaapkop
  • slaapmiddel
  • slaapfeest
Every word from Proto-Indo-European slab- →