Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “rāten” come from?

rāten (Middle High German) comes from Old High German rātan, from Proto-West Germanic rādan, from Proto-Germanic rēdaną, from Proto-Indo-European Hreh₁dʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂reh₁-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- — to fit, to fix, to put together.

Ancestry of “rāten”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanrātanto decide, advise
2Proto-West Germanicrādanto advise, counsel, help; to devise, decide,...
3Proto-Germanicrēdanąto decide, advise
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanHreh₁dʰ-to think; to arrange; to succeed, accomplish
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂reh₁-to think, reason; to arrange
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂er-to fit, to fix, to put together
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- →