Where does “bach” come from?

bach (Middle Low German) comes from Old Saxon bak, from Proto-West Germanic bak, from Proto-Germanic baką, from Proto-Indo-European bʰeg- — to break.

Ancestry of “bach”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Saxonbakback
2Proto-West Germanicbakback
3Proto-Germanicbakąback, rear
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰeg-to break
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰeg- →Every word from Proto-Germanic baką →Every word from Proto-West Germanic bak →