Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “refsan” come from?

refsan (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic rafsijan, from Proto-Germanic rafsijaną, from Proto-Indo-European h₁rep- — to rip, snatch, tear, pinch; to seize, pluck; to...

refsan (Old English): to reprove; rebuke; to seize; appropriate; to...

Definitions

  1. to reprove; rebuke; to seize; appropriate; to...

Ancestry of “refsan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanicrafsijanto reproach; to blame
2Proto-Germanicrafsijanąto snatch; to punish; flog; chastise; reprove; to...
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁rep-to rip, snatch, tear, pinch; to seize, pluck; to...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁rep- →