From PIE *pent- (to tread, to walk) — discovery as a journey's reward, kin to Latin 'pōns' (bridge) and 'pontiff.'
To discover or perceive something by chance or by searching; to succeed in locating or obtaining something.
From Old English 'findan' (to find, discover, encounter), from Proto-Germanic *finþaną, from the PIE root *pent- meaning 'to tread, to go, to walk.' The semantic shift from 'walking' to 'finding' reflects an ancient understanding of discovery as the result of a journey — you find what you walk toward or stumble upon. The same PIE root produced Latin 'pōns' (bridge, literally 'a path over'), Greek 'póntos' (sea, originally 'a crossing path'), and Old English 'path' itself. Key
The word 'find' comes from a PIE root meaning 'to walk' — discovery was understood as something that happens while traveling. The same root produced Latin 'pōns' (bridge), Greek 'póntos' (sea), and even 'pontiff' (originally a Roman 'bridge-builder'), making 'find,' 'bridge,' and 'pope' unlikely etymological cousins.