Where does “vogelvrij” come from?
vogelvrij (Dutch) comes from German vogelfrei, from German vogel, from Middle High German vogel, from Old High German fogal, from Proto-West Germanic fugl, from Proto-Germanic fuglaz, from Proto-Germanic fluglaz, from Proto-Germanic fleuganą — to fly, flow, run.
vogelvrij (Dutch): outlawed; free as a bird
Ancestry of “vogelvrij”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | vogelfrei | outlawed, proscribed |
| 2 | German | vogel | — |
| 3 | Middle High German | vogel | bird |
| 4 | Old High German | fogal | bird |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | fugl | bird |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fuglaz | bird |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | fluglaz | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | fleuganą | to fly |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | plewk- | to fly, flow, run; to splash, to flap with hands |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | plew- | to fly, flow, run |