Where does “dürfen” come from?
dürfen (Middle High German) comes from Old High German durfan, from Proto-West Germanic þurban, from Proto-Germanic þurbaną, from Proto-Indo-European terp- — to satisfy.
Ancestry of “dürfen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | durfan | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | þurban | to need |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | þurbaną | to need, to require; to have to |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | terp- | to satisfy |
Words derived from “dürfen”