Where does “hethen” come from?
hethen (Middle English) comes from Old Norse héðan, from Old Norse hér, from Proto-Germanic hē₂r, from Proto-Indo-European ḱe, from Middle English kyt, from German kitt, from Old High German kuti, from Proto-West Germanic kwidu — to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...
hethen (Middle English): heathen, pagan; of those who are not Christian;...
Definitions
- heathen, pagan; of those who are not Christian;...
Ancestry of “hethen”, step by step
hethen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old Norse héðan
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | héðan | hence |
| 2 | Old Norse | hér | here |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | hē₂r | here, in this place |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 5 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 6 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 7 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |