Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “schërzen” come from?

schërzen (Middle High German) comes from Old High German skërzan, from Proto-Germanic skertaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kerǝd- — to dance, jump.

Ancestry of “schërzen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanskërzanto jump merrily, enjoy oneself, jest
2Proto-Germanicskertanąto cut off; to leap, jump, spring; to jest, joke
3Proto-Indo-European(s)kerǝd-to dance, jump

Words derived from “schërzen”

  • scherzen
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kerǝd- →