Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “cempan” come from?

cempan (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic kampijan, from Latin campus, from Proto-Indo-European kh₂emp-, from Proto-Indo-European kh₂em- — to bend, to curve.

cempan (Old English): to battle, fight; to go to war; to struggle,...

Definitions

  1. to battle, fight; to go to war; to struggle,...

Ancestry of “cempan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanickampijanto battle; to campaign
2LatincampusOpen flat level ground: a plain, a natural field;...
3Proto-Indo-Europeankh₂emp-to bend; crooked; to bend, curve
4Proto-Indo-Europeankh₂em-to bend, to curve

Words derived from “cempan”

  • kempen
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kh₂em- →