Where does “helpen” come from?
helpen (Middle Low German) comes from Old Saxon helpan, from Proto-West Germanic helpan, from Proto-Germanic helpaną, from Proto-Indo-European ḱelb- — help.
helpen (Middle Low German): to help
Ancestry of “helpen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Saxon | helpan | to help |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | helpan | to help |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | helpaną | to help |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱelb- | help |