Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “twingen” come from?

twingen (Middle High German) comes from Old High German dwingan, from Proto-West Germanic þwingan, from Proto-Germanic þwinhaną, from Proto-Indo-European twenk- — to press, squeeze; to squeeze, press, pressure.

Ancestry of “twingen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germandwingan—
2Proto-West Germanicþwinganto constrain; to force
3Proto-Germanicþwinhanąto constrain; to force
4Proto-Indo-Europeantwenk-to press, squeeze; to squeeze, press, pressure

Words derived from “twingen”

  • bezwingen
  • zwingen
  • erzwingen
  • bezwéngen
  • zwéngen
Every word from Proto-Indo-European twenk- →