An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/vergessen

by Friedrich Kluge

vergessen, verb, ‘to forget,’ from the equivalent Middle High German vergëȥȥen, Old High German firgëȥȥan, strong verb; a West Teutonic word; compare Dutch vergeten, Anglo-Saxon forgitan, English to forget. Also the equivalent Old High German irgëzzan, Middle High German ergëȥȥen. The compound verb is the relic of a strong verbal root get, ‘to reach, attain,’ whence English to get; compare Gothic bigitan, ‘to find, Old Icelandic ‘to reach, attain,’ In non-Teutonic, Latin prae-hendere, ‘to group,’ Greek χανδάνω (Aryan root ghed, ghend), are connected with the root get. Hence vergessen means literally ‘to get beyond one's reach, lose possession of.’ —