Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “heln” come from?

heln (Middle High German) comes from Old High German helan, from Proto-West Germanic helan, from Proto-Germanic helaną, from Proto-Indo-European ḱéleti, from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- — to cover; to incline.

Ancestry of “heln”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanhelan—
2Proto-West Germanichelanto hide, to conceal
3Proto-Germanichelanąto hide, to conceal
4Proto-Indo-Europeanḱéletito be covering, hiding
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱel-to cover; to incline

Words derived from “heln”

  • Hehlerei
  • Hehler
  • hehlen
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- →