Where does “nāh” come from?

nāh (Old High German) comes from Proto-Germanic nēhwiz, from Proto-Germanic nēhw, from Proto-Germanic nēhwaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂nḗḱwos, from Proto-Indo-European h₂neḱ- — to reach, to attain.

nāh (Old High German): near, close; close, near

Definitions

  1. near, close; close, near

Ancestry of “nāh”, step by step

nāh traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Proto-Germanic nēhwiz

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicnēhwizcloser, nearer
2Proto-Germanicnēhwnear, close
3Proto-Germanicnēhwaznear, close
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂nḗḱwos
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂neḱ-to reach, to attain

via Proto-West Germanic *nāhw

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanic*nāhwnear, close

Words derived from “nāh

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂neḱ-Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂nḗḱwosEvery word from Proto-Germanic nēhwaz