Etymology Explorer › Dutch

Where does “windmolengevecht” come from?

windmolengevecht (Dutch) comes from Dutch windmolen, from Dutch wind, from Middle Dutch wint, from Old Dutch wint, from Proto-West Germanic wind, from Proto-Germanic windaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂wéh₁n̥ts, from Proto-Indo-European h₂wḗh₁ti — to blow.

windmolengevecht (Dutch): pointless fight

Definitions

  1. pointless fight

Ancestry of “windmolengevecht”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchwindmolenwindmill
2Dutchwindwind; flatulence, fart; greyhound
3Middle Dutchwintwind; cardinal direction; air
4Old Dutchwint—
5Proto-West Germanicwindwind
6Proto-Germanicwindazwind
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂wéh₁n̥tsblowing; that which blows; the wind, air
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂wḗh₁tito blow
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂weh₁-to blow
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂weh₁- →