Where does “schmerzen” come from?
schmerzen (Middle High German) comes from Old High German smerzan, from Proto-Germanic smertaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)merd- — to bite, to sting.
Ancestry of “schmerzen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | smerzan | to smart |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | smertaną | to hurt |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)merd- | to bite, to sting |
Words derived from “schmerzen”