Where does “fretan” come from?

fretan (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic *fraetan, from Proto-Germanic fraetaną, from Proto-Germanic etaną, from Proto-Indo-European h₁édti, from Proto-Indo-European h₁ed- — to eat.

fretan (Old English): to devour; to break, burst

Definitions

  1. to devour; to break, burst

Ancestry of “fretan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanic*fraetanto devour, eat up, consume
2Proto-Germanicfraetanąto devour, eat up, consume
3Proto-Germanicetanąto eat
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁édtito eat
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁ed-to eat

Words derived from “fretan”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁ed- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁édti →Every word from Proto-Germanic etaną →