Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “nēst” come from?

nēst (Old English) comes from Old English nīehst, from Proto-West Germanic **nāhwist(ō), from Proto-Germanic nēhwist, from Proto-Germanic nēhw, from Proto-Germanic nēhwaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂nḗḱwos, from Proto-Indo-European h₂neḱ- — to reach, to attain.

Ancestry of “nēst”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishnīehstnearest, next
2Proto-West Germanic**nāhwist(ō)—
3Proto-Germanicnēhwistnearest, closest
4Proto-Germanicnēhwnear, close
5Proto-Germanicnēhwaznear, close
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂nḗḱwos—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂neḱ-to reach, to attain

Words derived from “nēst”

  • nest
  • nesting
  • nester
  • neist
  • nestful
  • nestbuilding
  • nestmate
  • nestlike
  • renest
  • nestless
  • unnest
  • nestable
  • nestmaking
  • nonnesting
  • hangnest
  • mare's nest
  • nesteth
  • neststraw
  • nestlet
  • nestiĝi
  • nestigi
  • nesto
  • nesti
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Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂neḱ- →