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
Ancestry of “zeitgeist”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | Zeitgeist | spirit of the age; zeitgeist |
| 2 | German | Zeit | time; time of day; period, era |
| 3 | Middle High German | zīt | time |
| 4 | Old High German | zīt | time |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | déh₂itis | interval, period of time |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₂y- | to share, divide |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₂- | to share, divide |