An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/nehmen

by Friedrich Kluge

nehmen, vb., ‘to take, accept,’ from the equiv. MidHG. nëmen, OHG. nëman; a common Teut. str. vb. with the same signification throughout the group; comp. Goth., OSax., and AS. niman, OIc. nema. The most nearly allied in sense to these are Lat. emere and OIr. em (OSlov. imą?), ‘to take,’ with which nehmen is connected in sound if its initial n is the relic of a particle. OTeut. nëman may, however, be compared more probably with Gr. νέμω, ‘to distribute, pasture’ (trans.) γέμος (νόμος), ‘pasturage,’ equiv. to Lat. nemus, ‘grove,’ Gr. γόμος, ‘law,’ in which case it is especially connected with the mid. vb. νέμεσϑαι, ‘to distribute among themselves, possess, consider as, hold.’