Where does “want” come from?
want (Old Dutch) comes from Frankish wantu, from Proto-Germanic wantuz, from Proto-Indo-European wondʰnú-, from Proto-Indo-European wendʰ- — to wind, to turn.
Ancestry of “want”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Frankish | wantu | glove; mitten; glove |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | wantuz | glove, mitten |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | wondʰnú- | glove |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | wendʰ- | to wind, to turn |