Where does “strāfen” come from?

strāfen (Middle High German) comes from Proto-Germanic strēpōną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ter(h₁)- — to be stiff; be rigid; exert.

Ancestry of “strāfen”, step by step

strāfen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Proto-Germanic strēpōną

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicstrēpōną
2Proto-Indo-European(s)ter(h₁)-to be stiff; be rigid; exert

via Proto-West Germanic *strēpōn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanic*strēpōn

Words derived from “strāfen

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)ter(h₁)-Every word from Proto-Germanic strēpōną
strāfen — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer