Where does “want” come from?

want (Middle High German) comes from Old High German want, from Proto-Germanic wanduz, from Proto-Indo-European wendʰ- — to wind, to turn.

Ancestry of “want”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High GermanwantA wall
2Proto-Germanicwanduzmole; vole; rod, switch, stick
3Proto-Indo-Europeanwendʰ-to wind, to turn

Words derived from “want”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European wendʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wanduz →Every word from Old High German want →