Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “hëlfen” come from?

hëlfen (Middle High German) comes from Old High German helfan, from Proto-West Germanic helpan, from Proto-Germanic helpaną, from Proto-Indo-European ḱelb- — help.

Ancestry of “hëlfen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanhelfanto help
2Proto-West Germanichelpanto help
3Proto-Germanichelpanąto help
4Proto-Indo-Europeanḱelb-help

Words derived from “hëlfen”

  • Gotthilfius
  • mithelfen
  • helfen
  • helft
  • Gotthelf
  • verhelfen
  • hilf
  • weiterhelfen
  • העלפֿן
  • העלפֿער
  • העלפֿערין
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱelb- →