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
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | want | A wall |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | wanduz | mole; vole; rod, switch, stick |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | wendʰ- | to wind, to turn |
Words derived from “want”