Where does “gēn” come from?

gēn (Middle High German) comes from Old High German gēn, from Proto-West Germanic gān, from Proto-Germanic gāną, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰengʰ- — to walk; to step.

Ancestry of “gēn”, step by step

gēn traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old High German gēn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germangēn—
2Proto-West Germanicgānto go
3Proto-Germanicgānąto go, walk
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰengʰ-to walk; to step

via Middle High German gegen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germangegenagainst
2Old High Germangaganagainst
3Proto-Germanicgagintowards, in the direction of; against

Words derived from “gēn”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰengʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic gāną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic gān →
gēn — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer