Where does “letterkunde” come from?
letterkunde (Afrikaans) comes from Dutch letterkunde, from Dutch letter, from Middle Dutch lettere, from Old French letre, from Latin littera, from Latin lītera, from Old Latin leitera, from Proto-Indo-European h₂leyH- — to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,...
letterkunde (Afrikaans): literature
Ancestry of “letterkunde”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Dutch | letterkunde | literature; the academic study of literature,... |
| 2 | Dutch | letter | letter |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | lettere | letter; literal meaning; Bible |
| 4 | Old French | letre | letter |
| 5 | Latin | littera | a letter of the alphabet; handwriting; letter,... |
| 6 | Latin | lītera | — |
| 7 | Old Latin | leitera | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂leyH- | to smear |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | leyh₂- | to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,... |