Where does “när” come from?

när (Westrobothnian) comes from Old Norse nær, 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.

när (Westrobothnian): at, by, with, at place

Definitions

  1. at, by, with, at place

Ancestry of “när”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsenærnearer; near; towards
2Proto-Germanicnēhwizcloser, nearer
3Proto-Germanicnēhwnear, close
4Proto-Germanicnēhwaznear, close
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂nḗḱwos—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂neḱ-to reach, to attain
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂neḱ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂nḗḱwos →Every word from Proto-Germanic nēhwaz →