Where does “Blitz” come from?
Blitz comes from German Blitzkrieg, blending German Blitz (lightning) with Krieg (war), ultimately tracing through Middle High German kriec and Old High German krig to Proto-Germanic and Proto-Indo-European roots.
Ancestry of “Blitz”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Blitzkrieg | — |
| 2 | German | Blitzkrieg | blitzkrieg |
| 3 | German | krieg | singular imperative of kriegen |
| 4 | Middle High German | kriec | exertion; enmity; opposition |
| 5 | Old High German | krig | stubbornness; defiance |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | krīg | strife; struggle; fight |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | krīganą | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷrihg(ʰ)-o- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷréh₂us | heavy |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -us | Forms adjectives from Caland system roots |