high

high · adjective, adverb, noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*kewk-
2. Proto-Indo-European*kówkos
3. Proto-Germanic*hauhaz
4. Proto-West Germanic*hauh
5. Old Englishhēah
6. Middle Englishheigh
7. English todayhigh

From Middle English high, heigh, heih, from Old English hēah (“high, tall, lofty, high-class, exalted, sublime, illustrious, important, proud, haughty, deep, right”), from Proto-West Germanic *hauh (“high”), from Proto-Germanic *hauhaz (“high”), from Proto-Indo-European *kewk- (“to bend; crooked”). Cognates Cognate with Scots heich (“high”), Yola heegh, heigh, heighe, hia, hie (“high”), North Frisian hoog, huuch (“high”), Saterland Frisian hooch, hoog (“high”), West Frisian heech (“high”), Alemannic German hooch (“high”), Central Franconian huh (“high”), Cimbrian hoach, hòach (“high”), Dutch hoog (“high”), German hoch (“high”), German Low German hooch (“high”), Limburgish hoeg (“high”), Luxembourgish héich (“high”), Mòcheno heach (“high”), Vilamovian huch (“high”), Yiddish הויך (hoykh, “high”), Danish høj (“high”), Faroese háur, høgur (“high”), Gutnish haugar (“high”), Icelandic hár (“high”), Norwegian Bokmål høg, høy (“high”), Norwegian Nynorsk høg, håg, hå (“high”), Swedish hög (“high”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐌷𐍃 (hauhs, “high”), Vandalic *oas (“high”), Old French haut (“high”) (from Old High German hoh (“high”)); also with Ancient Greek Καύκᾰσος (Kaúkăsos, “Caucasus”), Latvian koks (“tree”), Lithuanian kúoka (“stick with thick end, pounder, pestle”), Bulgarian ку́ка (kúka, “hook”), Albanian çukë (“peak, summit, top”).

high · verb²

1. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*hauwjan
2. Old English · derived fromġehēgan“to perform, conduct”
3. Middle English · inherited fromhegen, heghen, heien
4. English todayhigh

From Middle English hegen, heghen, heien, a conflation of Old English ġehēgan (“to perform, conduct”) (from Proto-West Germanic *hauwjan) and hēan (“to raise up, exalt”) (from *hauhijan), also influenced by heigh (“high”).

high · verb³

See hie.

Words from the same roots