Where does “onwrecan” come from?

onwrecan (Old English) comes from Old English on, from Proto-West Germanic ana, from Proto-Germanic *an, from Proto-Germanic ana, from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- — on, onto.

onwrecan (Old English): to avenge

Definitions

  1. to avenge

Ancestry of “onwrecan”, step by step

onwrecan traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English on

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishonon, in, at, among; from
2Proto-West Germanicanaon
3Proto-Germanic*an—
4Proto-Germanicanaon, at; on, onto; ana
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto

via Old English wrecan

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwrecanto take revenge; to avenge a person or a wrong;...
2Proto-West Germanicwrekanto drive out; to persecute
3Proto-Germanicwrekanąto pursue, to drive out
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwreǵ-to work, act
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →Every word from Proto-Germanic ana →Every word from Proto-Germanic *an →