Where does “svanesang” come from?
svanesang (Danish) comes from German Schwanengesang, from German Schwan, from Middle High German swan, from Old High German swan, from Proto-West Germanic swan, from Proto-Germanic swanaz, from Proto-Indo-European swenh₂- — to sound.
svanesang (Danish): swan song
Ancestry of “svanesang”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | Schwanengesang | swan song |
| 2 | German | Schwan | swan; the constellation Cygnus |
| 3 | Middle High German | swan | — |
| 4 | Old High German | swan | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | swan | swan |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | swanaz | swan |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | swenh₂- | to sound |