An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/entbehren
entbehren, verb, from Middle High German enbërn, Old High German (int-?) in-bëran, ‘to do without, want’; a corresponding verb is wanting in the Old Teutonic dialects. The meaning of Old High German in-bëran can hardly be deduced from bëran, ‘to carry’ (see Bahre, gebaren, Bürde); whether it is connected with baar, Old Slovenian bosŭ, from an Aryan root bhes, ‘to be empty,’ remains uncertain, because the prefix has no very definite meaning, and because no other verb from this root has been found.