Where does “geheimzinnig” come from?
geheimzinnig (Dutch) comes from Dutch geheim, from German geheim, from German ge-, from Middle High German ge-, from Old High German ga-, from Proto-West Germanic ga-, from Proto-Germanic ga-, from Proto-Indo-European ḱóm — resin, gum; to say, speak.
geheimzinnig (Dutch): secretive, mysterious
Ancestry of “geheimzinnig”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Dutch | geheim | secret; secretly |
| 2 | German | geheim | secret |
| 3 | German | ge- | Forms collective nouns, almost always neuter... |
| 4 | Middle High German | ge- | — |
| 5 | Old High German | ga- | with |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | ga- | used as an intensifier for verbs, indicating... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | ga- | Indicates association or togetherness; co-;... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 10 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 11 | German | kitt | — |
| 12 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 13 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 14 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |