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.
Blitz (English): The series of air raids launched on various cities in the United Kingdom by the German air force in 1940–41 during World War II
Definitions
- The series of air raids launched on various cities in the United Kingdom by the German air force in 1940–41 during World War II
Ancestry of “Blitz”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Blitzkrieg | A fast military offensive, typically involving a large and highly mobile tank force with air support |
| 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 |