Etymology Explorer › Middle Dutch

Where does “straffen” come from?

straffen (Middle Dutch) comes from Middle High German strāfen, from Proto-Germanic strēpōną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ter(h₁)- — to be stiff; be rigid; exert.

straffen (Middle Dutch): to scold, to reprimand; to refute; to punish

Definitions

  1. to scold, to reprimand; to refute; to punish

Ancestry of “straffen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanstrāfen—
2Proto-Germanicstrēpōną—
3Proto-Indo-European(s)ter(h₁)-to be stiff; be rigid; exert

Words derived from “straffen”

  • afstraffen
  • afstraffing
  • straffen
  • bestraffen
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)ter(h₁)- →