Where does “hēah” come from?

hēah (Old English) comes from Old English hām, from Proto-West Germanic haim, from Proto-Germanic haimaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱóymos, from Proto-Indo-European ḱey- — to be lying down; to settle.

hēah (Old English): high, tall, lofty, high-class, exalted, sublime,...

Definitions

  1. high, tall, lofty, high-class, exalted, sublime,...

Ancestry of “hēah”, step by step

hēah traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English hām

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhāmhome; village, community; village, hamlet, manor,...
2Proto-West Germanichaimhome
3Proto-Germanichaimazhome; house; village
4Proto-Indo-Europeanḱóymosof the home, belonging to the family; village,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱey-to be lying down; to settle

via Old English land

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishlandland; a country; region within a country:...
2Proto-West Germaniclandland, area of ground
3Proto-Germaniclandąland, area of ground
4Proto-Indo-Europeanlendʰ-land, heath; loins

via Proto-West Germanic hauh

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanichauhhigh
2Proto-Germanichauhazhigh
3Proto-Indo-Europeanḱewk-flare up, glow; white; to glow, burn, lighten

Words derived from “hēah

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱey-Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱóymosEvery word from Proto-Germanic haimaz
hēah — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer