Where does “efnþrowung” come from?

efnþrowung (Old English) comes from Old English efn, from Proto-West Germanic ebn, from Proto-Germanic ebnaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₁émnos — equal, straight; flat, level, even.

efnþrowung (Old English): sympathy

Definitions

  1. sympathy

Ancestry of “efnþrowung”, step by step

efnþrowung traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English efn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishefnequal, level, even
2Proto-West Germanicebneven, level
3Proto-Germanicebnazeven, level
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁émnosequal, straight; flat, level, even

via Old English þrowung

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishþrowungsuffering
2Old English-ungforming nouns from verbs, denoting verbal action...
3Proto-Germanic-ungō-ing, -ion. "Forms gerund nouns from verbs."

via Old English efnþrōwian

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishefnþrōwianto sympathize (+ dative = with someone)
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁émnosEvery word from Proto-Germanic ebnazEvery word from Proto-West Germanic ebn