Where does “rotten” come from?
rotten (Middle Low German) comes from Middle Low German rōten, from Old Saxon rotōn, from Proto-Germanic *rotēn, from Proto-Germanic rutāną, from Proto-Indo-European Hrewd- — to tear; rend.
Ancestry of “rotten”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle Low German | rōten | — |
| 2 | Old Saxon | rotōn | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | *rotēn | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | rutāną | to rot |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrewd- | to tear; rend |
Words derived from “rotten”