Where does “sin” come from?
sin (Old Swedish) comes from Middle Low German sîn, from Old Saxon *sinn, from Proto-West Germanic sinn, from Proto-Germanic sinnaz, from Proto-Indo-European sentnós, from Proto-Indo-European sent-, from Proto-Indo-European h₁es- — to be.
Ancestry of “sin”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle Low German | sîn | — |
| 2 | Old Saxon | *sinn | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | sinn | sense, perception; sense, meaning; reason, mental... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | sinnaz | sense, perception; sense, meaning |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | sentnós | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sent- | to head for, to go, to travel; to feel |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁es- | to be |