Where does “zeichen” come from?

zeichen (Middle High German) comes from Old High German zeihhan, from Proto-West Germanic taikn, from Proto-Germanic taikną, from Proto-Indo-European deyḱ- — to point out.

Ancestry of “zeichen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanzeihhansign, symbol, feature; sign, symbol
2Proto-West Germanictaiknsign, token, symbol
3Proto-Germanictaiknąsign, token, symbol
4Proto-Indo-Europeandeyḱ-to point out

Words derived from “zeichen”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European deyḱ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic taikną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic taikn →
zeichen — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer