Where does “hēlen” come from?

hēlen (Middle Low German) comes from Old Saxon hēlian, from Proto-West Germanic hailijan, from Proto-Germanic hailijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos — healthy.

Ancestry of “hēlen”, step by step

hēlen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Saxon hēlian

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Saxonhēlianto heal, to cure, to save
2Proto-West Germanichailijanto heal, to cure
3Proto-Germanichailijanąto make whole, to mend; to heal, to make healthy
4Proto-Indo-European*kéh₂iloshealthy

via Proto-Germanic helaną

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanichelanąto hide, to conceal
2Proto-Indo-Europeanḱéletito be covering, hiding
3Proto-Indo-Europeanḱel-to cover; to incline

Words derived from “hēlen”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hailijaną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic hailijan →