Where does “zwaailicht” come from?

zwaailicht (Dutch) comes from Dutch licht, from Dutch be-, from Middle Dutch be-, from Old Dutch be-, from Proto-Germanic bi-, from Proto-Germanic bi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂m̥bʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂n̥tbʰi — on, onto.

zwaailicht (Dutch): A revolving light used to signal danger, commonly...

Definitions

  1. A revolving light used to signal danger, commonly...

Ancestry of “zwaailicht”, step by step

zwaailicht traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Dutch licht

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchlichtlight, of little weight; easy, mild; A light,...
2Dutchbe-Used to indicate that a verb is acting on a...
3Middle Dutchbe-A verb prefix with a variety of meanings
4Old Dutchbe-
5Proto-Germanicbi-by, at
6Proto-Germanicbiby, at; near, around
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂m̥bʰiaround, on either side of, about; in exchange...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂n̥tbʰi
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntsforehead; front
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ent-face; forehead; front
11Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto

via Dutch zwaaien

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchzwaaiento sway, to wave; to brandish
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en-Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ent-Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂énts