Where does “gewanian” come from?

gewanian (Old English) comes from Old English ġē, from Proto-Germanic jahw, from Proto-Germanic -hw, from Proto-Germanic -hwe, from Proto-Indo-European -kʷe — and; Forms distributives from interrogatives.

gewanian (Old English): to diminish, lessen greatly, degrade, depreciate

Definitions

  1. to diminish, lessen greatly, degrade, depreciate

Ancestry of “gewanian”, step by step

gewanian traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English ġē

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishġēye
2Proto-Germanicjahwand, also
3Proto-Germanic-hwand; Forms distributives from interrogatives
4Proto-Germanic-hwe—
5Proto-Indo-European-kʷeand; Forms distributives from interrogatives

via Old English wānian

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwānianto complain, lament; to bewail, lament
2Proto-Germanicwainōnąto cry, to lament, to grieve
3Proto-Indo-Europeanwáyoh!; ah!; woe!
4Proto-Indo-Europeanuwáyto see oneself
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -kʷe →Every word from Proto-Germanic -hw →Every word from Proto-Germanic jahw →