From PIE *h1ed- (to eat) — one of the most ancient and best-preserved roots, essentially unchanged for five thousand years.
To put food into the mouth, chew, and swallow it for nourishment.
From Old English 'etan,' from Proto-Germanic *etaną, from PIE root *h₁ed- meaning 'to eat.' This is one of the most ancient and stable verb roots in Indo-European, preserved with remarkably little change across nearly every branch of the family: Latin 'edere,' Greek 'edein,' Sanskrit 'admi,' Lithuanian 'ėsti,' Russian 'est.' The root's consistency across five millennia reflects the fundamental biological importance of the concept it names. Key