An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/finden

by Friedrich Kluge

finden, verb, ‘to find, discover; deem, consider,’ from the equivalent Middle High German vinden, Old High German findan; compare Gothic finþan, Old Icelandic finna, Anglo-Saxon findan, English to find, Old Saxon fîthan, findan, ‘to find.’ Teutonic fenþ, as a strong verbal root from pre-Teutonic root pent; akin to Old High German fęndo, masculine, ‘pedestrian,’ Anglo-Saxon fêþa, ‘foot-soldier,’ Old High German funden, ‘to hasten’?. Some etymologists adduce Latin invenire and Old Slovenian na iti, ‘to find,’ to show by analogy that from a verb of ‘going’ the meaning ‘find’ can be evolved. With the Teutonic root fenþ the equivalent Old Irish root ét- (from pent-) is most closely connected.