Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “helpan” come from?

helpan (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic helpan, from Proto-Germanic helpaną, from Proto-Indo-European ḱelb- — help.

helpan (Old English): to help

Definitions

  1. to help

Ancestry of “helpan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanichelpanto help
2Proto-Germanichelpanąto help
3Proto-Indo-Europeanḱelb-help

Words derived from “helpan”

  • help
  • helping
  • helpful
  • unhelpful
  • helpfulness
  • helpfully
  • helpline
  • unhelpfully
  • helpee
  • unhelpfulness
  • helpest
  • helpfile
  • unhelpable
  • nonhelpful
  • helpable
  • unhelping
  • helpingly
  • helpfuller
  • overhelp
  • helpsome
  • helpsheet
  • helpe
  • behelp
  • self-help
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱelb- →