söß (Low German)

Where does "söß" come from?

The Low German numeral 'söß' means 'six'[1]. Its lineage reaches back through Middle Low German 'ses'[1] and Old Saxon 'sehs'[1] to Proto-West Germanic 'sehs'[3] and finally Proto-Germanic 'sehs'[4]. This word descends from the Proto-Indo-European root '*swéḱs'[4]. While many daughter languages share this root, historical linguists debate whether the original form was '*swéḱs' or a simpler '*wéḱs' that acquired an initial 's' sound over time[5].

Open questions

• The existence of an original Proto-Indo-European form *wéḱs remains a subject of academic debate among scholars. [5]

Full etymology tree

• söß (Low German), 'six'
  • inherited ses (Middle Low German)
    • inherited sehs (Old Saxon), 'six'
      • inherited *sehs (Proto-West Germanic), 'six'
        • inherited *sehs (Proto-Germanic), 'six'
          • inherited *swéḱs (Proto-Indo-European), 'six'

Ancestors

• sehs (Old Saxon)

Sources

1. söß (Low German) - Wiktionary
2. sehs (Old Saxon) - Wiktionary
3. sehs (Proto-West Germanic) - Wiktionary
4. sehs (Proto-Germanic) - Wiktionary
5. swéḱs (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris