Where does “hoofdfiguur” come from?

hoofdfiguur (Dutch) comes from Dutch hoofd, from Middle Dutch hôvet, from Old Dutch hōvit, from Proto-West Germanic *haubud, from Proto-Germanic haubudą, from Proto-Indo-European káput- — head.

hoofdfiguur (Dutch): protagonist

Definitions

  1. protagonist

Ancestry of “hoofdfiguur”, step by step

hoofdfiguur traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Dutch hoofd

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchhoofdhead
2Middle Dutchhôvethead
3Old Dutchhōvithead
4Proto-West Germanic*haubud—
5Proto-Germanichaubudąhead
6Proto-Indo-Europeankáput-head

via Dutch figuur

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchfiguurfigure
2Middle Dutchfigure—
3Old Frenchfigure—
4Latinfigūrashape, form, figure
5Latinfingōto shape, fashion, form, knead (dough)
6Proto-Indo-Europeandʰeyǵʰ-to knead; to form, to shape
Every word from Proto-Indo-European káput- →Every word from Proto-Germanic haubudą →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *haubud →