Where does “hæhse” come from?
hæhse (Middle High German) comes from Old High German hāhsena, from Proto-West Germanic *hą̄hasinu, from Proto-Germanic hanhasinwō, from Proto-Germanic senawō, from Proto-Indo-European snḗh₁wr̥, from Proto-Indo-European (s)neh₁- — to spin (thread), to sew.
Ancestry of “hæhse”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old High German | hāhsena | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | *hą̄hasinu | Achilles tendon, hamstring |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | hanhasinwō | Achilles tendon, hamstring |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | senawō | cord, tendon, sinew; nerve |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | snḗh₁wr̥ | tendon, sinew; sinew, tendon |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)neh₁- | to spin (thread), to sew |