Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “ringen” come from?

ringen (Middle High German) comes from Old High German ringan, from Proto-Germanic wringaną, from Proto-Indo-European wrenǵʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European werǵʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European wēr-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

Ancestry of “ringen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanringan—
2Proto-Germanicwringanąto squeeze, twist, wring
3Proto-Indo-Europeanwrenǵʰ-to twist, wry, constrict, choke, thring
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwerǵʰ-bind, squeeze; to bind, squeeze; to turn, twist,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwēr-true
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “ringen”

  • réngen
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →