Where does “slāfen” come from?
slāfen (Middle High German) comes from Old High German slāfan, from Proto-West Germanic slāpan, from Proto-Germanic slēpaną, from Proto-Indo-European slab- — to be weak, be languid; be weak, limp, languid.
Ancestry of “slāfen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | slāfan | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | slāpan | to sleep |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | slēpaną | to sleep |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | slab- | to be weak, be languid; be weak, limp, languid |
Words derived from “slāfen”