Where does “zwartgrijs” come from?

zwartgrijs (Dutch) comes from Dutch zwart, from Middle Dutch swart, from Old Dutch swart, from Proto-West Germanic swart, from Proto-Germanic swartaz, from Proto-Indo-European swordo- — dirty, dark, black.

zwartgrijs (Dutch): black gray

Definitions

  1. black gray

Ancestry of “zwartgrijs”, step by step

zwartgrijs traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Dutch zwart

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchzwartblack; having dark skin; illegal, without payment...
2Middle Dutchswartblack
3Old Dutchswartblack
4Proto-West Germanicswartblack
5Proto-Germanicswartazblack
6Proto-Indo-Europeanswordo-dirty, dark, black

via Dutch grijs

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchgrijsgrey, grey-colored; old; weathered, tarnished,...
2Middle Dutchgrijsgrey
3Old Dutchgrīs—
4Proto-West Germanic*grīsgrey
5Proto-Germanicgrīsazgrey; terrible; frightening
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swordo- →