An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/treten

by Friedrich Kluge

treten, vb., ‘to tread, proceed, step,’ from the equiv. MidHG. trëten, OHG. trëtan; a common Teut. str. vb.; corresponding to OSax. and AS. trëdan, E. to tread, Du. treden, Goth. trudan. Comp. also Tritt, Trott, and Trotte. In the non-Teut. languages no Aryan root dre-t is found, though Gr. δρόμος, ‘course,’ Sans. root dram, ‘to run’ (AS. tręm, ‘step’), and the root of the cognates of trampeln seem to be orig. connected with it.