Where does “lesen” come from?
lesen (Middle High German) comes from Old High German lesan, from Proto-West Germanic *lesan, from Proto-Germanic lesaną, from Proto-Indo-European les- — to gather, to collect.
Ancestry of “lesen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | lesan | to read, to read aloud; to examine; to collect |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | *lesan | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | lesaną | to gather, collect |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | les- | to gather, to collect |
Words derived from “lesen”