Where does “spinnen” come from?
spinnen (Middle Low German) comes from Old Saxon *spinnan, from Proto-West Germanic spinnan, from Proto-Germanic spinnaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pénh₁-ne-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)penh₁- — to twist; to weave.
Ancestry of “spinnen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Saxon | *spinnan | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | spinnan | to spin |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | spinnaną | to spin |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pénh₁-ne- | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)penh₁- | to twist; to weave |