Where does “och” come from?
och (Middle High German) comes from Middle High German ouch, from Old High German ouh, from Proto-West Germanic *auk, from Proto-Germanic auk, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ewg-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂weg-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ug-.
Ancestry of “och”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | ouch | also, too, as well |
| 2 | Old High German | ouh | also, too, as well |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *auk | also, too |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | auk | also, too; furthermore, in addition; and |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ewg- | to increase, to enlarge |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂weg- | to increase, to enlarge |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ug- | — |