How do you say "eat" in Old English?

The Deep Roots of Eating

Language is a living history book, and everyday words often carry thousands of years of human experience. Take the simple act of having a meal. When we look at how we say eat today, its origins stretch back remarkably far into the ancient past.

In Old English, the word was spelled etan. Long before that, it evolved through Germanic and Indo-European roots, sharing a direct family tree with ancient words used to describe nourishment and consumption. Every time we use this everyday vocabulary, we are unconsciously speaking a version of a tongue that has survived for millennia.