Where does “Sneeuwwitje” come from?
Sneeuwwitje (Dutch) comes from Dutch sneeuw, from Middle Dutch snêe, from Old Dutch snēo, from Proto-West Germanic snaiw, from Proto-Germanic snaiwaz, from Proto-Indo-European snóygʷʰos, from Proto-Indo-European sneygʷʰ- — to snow.
Sneeuwwitje (Dutch): Snow White
Definitions
- Snow White
Ancestry of “Sneeuwwitje”, step by step
Sneeuwwitje traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch sneeuw
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | sneeuw | snow; snow, static, noise; cocaine |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | snêe | snow |
| 3 | Old Dutch | snēo | snow |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | snaiw | snow |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | snaiwaz | snow |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | snóygʷʰos | snow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sneygʷʰ- | to snow |
via German Schneewittchen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Schneewittchen | a girl or woman with black or dark brown hair and... |
| 2 | German Low German | Sneewittken | — |
| 3 | German Low German | witt | white; clean |
| 4 | Old Saxon | hwīt | white |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *hwīt | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hwītaz | white |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱweytos | bright; shine; shine; bright |