Where does “woudgeest” come from?
woudgeest (Dutch) comes from Dutch geest, from Middle Dutch gêest, from Old Dutch gēst, from Old Dutch gist, from Proto-West Germanic jestu, from Proto-Germanic jestuz, from Proto-Indo-European yes- — to foam; to boil.
woudgeest (Dutch): a wood sprite, a wood spirit, a dryad
Definitions
- a wood sprite, a wood spirit, a dryad
Ancestry of “woudgeest”, step by step
woudgeest traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch geest
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | geest | ghost, spirit; mind, mental conscience; life... |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | gêest | — |
| 3 | Old Dutch | gēst | — |
| 4 | Old Dutch | gist | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | jestu | fermentation; byproducts or agents of... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | jestuz | fermentation; byproducts or agents of... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | yes- | to foam; to boil |