Where does “omsonst” come from?
omsonst (Dutch) comes from German umsonst, from German um, from Middle High German ümbe, from Old High German umbi, from Proto-West Germanic umbi, from Proto-Germanic umbi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂m̥bʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂n̥tbʰi — on, onto.
Ancestry of “omsonst”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | umsonst | free of charge, gratis; in vain, without success;... |
| 2 | German | um | about; around; at, by |
| 3 | Middle High German | ümbe | — |
| 4 | Old High German | umbi | around |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | umbi | around |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | umbi | around, about |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂m̥bʰi | around, on either side of, about; in exchange... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂n̥tbʰi | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |