Where does “undertaken” come from?

undertaken (Middle English) comes from Middle English taken, from Old English tācen, from Old Norse tekinn, from Proto-Germanic tēkanaz, from Proto-Germanic tēkaną, from Proto-Indo-European deh₁g- — to touch.

undertaken (Middle English): To pledge; to assert, assure; to dare say

Definitions

  1. To pledge; to assert, assure; to dare say

Ancestry of “undertaken”, step by step

undertaken traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English taken

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtakento take; Alternative form of token; Alternative...
2Old Englishtācen—
3Old Norsetekinnpast participle of taka; take, took, taken
4Proto-Germanictēkanaz—
5Proto-Germanictēkanąto touch; to grasp
6Proto-Indo-Europeandeh₁g-to touch

via Middle English under

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishunderunder
2Old Englishunderunder, beneath
3Proto-Germanicunderamong, between; under, beneath; under
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁entérbetween
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁enin; in, inside

Words derived from “undertaken”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European deh₁g- →Every word from Proto-Germanic tēkaną →Every word from Proto-Germanic tēkanaz →