Where does “wine” come from?
wine (Middle High German) comes from Old High German wini, from Proto-West Germanic wini, from Proto-Germanic winiz, from Proto-Indo-European wenh₁- — to love.
wine (Middle High German): friend
Ancestry of “wine”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | wini | friend |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | wini | friend |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | winiz | loved one, friend |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | wenh₁- | to love |