Where words came from: caution, show, show, scavenge, sheen

It all started with the verb of perceiving:

[Proto-indo-european]

(s)kewh₁- : to perceive/observe

From this we developed words describing an intention to perceive:

[Italic]

• *kawēō : (verb) to beware

• [Latin]

• caveo : (verb) I beware 

• [Old French] 

  • caution : security

• [English]

•  caution : (noun) An attention to the probable effects of an act, in order to avoid harm

In the East it developed into general sensory words:

[Balto-Slavic]

• [Slavic]

• *čuti

• [West Slavic] 

• [Russian]

  • чу́ять (čújatʹ) : (verb) to smell, feel, sense

•  [East Slavic]

  • [Polish]

  • czuć : (verb) to feel

In Western europe the words had a tendency to relate to vision:

[Germanic]

• [Proto-Germanic]

• *skawwōną : (verb) to watch
  

  • [Old English]

    scēawian : (verb) to look at, to examine

  • [English]

  show : (verb) to display

  • [Old English]

     scēawung : (noun) examination

    • [English]

      scavenge: (verb) to search through unwanted items to collect useful items, to remove unwanted impurities from useful materials

  • [Dutch]

  •  schouwen : (verb) to inspect, examine

  • [German]

  • schauen : (verb) to look (at)

Alongside the path above, (s)kewh₁- took a second path of development, now describing things people would want to perceive:

[Proto-Indo-European]

•  (s)kewh₁- : to perceive/observe

became

• *(s)kowh₁-nis : (adjective) watchable

• [Proto-Germanic]

• *skauniz : (adjective) beautiful, shining

• [English]

• sheen : (noun) radiance, shininess

• [Dutch]

• schoon : (adjective) clean

• [German]

• schön : (adjective) beautiful, lovely, good, pleasant

• [Swedish]

• skön : (adjective) beautiful, fair, comfortable

References

Kroonen, Guus (2013) Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11), Leiden, Boston: Brill

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this article.