Where does “zeitgeist” come from?

zeitgeist (Danish) comes from German Zeitgeist, from German Zeit, from Middle High German zīt, from Old High German zīt, from Proto-Indo-European déh₂itis, from Proto-Indo-European deh₂y-, from Proto-Indo-European deh₂- — to share, divide.

zeitgeist (Danish): zeitgeist

Definitions

  1. zeitgeist

Ancestry of “zeitgeist”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanZeitgeistspirit of the age; zeitgeist
2GermanZeittime; time of day; period, era
3Middle High Germanzīttime
4Old High Germanzīttime
5Proto-Indo-Europeandéh₂itisinterval, period of time
6Proto-Indo-Europeandeh₂y-to share, divide
7Proto-Indo-Europeandeh₂-to share, divide
Every word from Proto-Indo-European deh₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European deh₂y- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European déh₂itis →
zeitgeist — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer