Where does “Elbe” come from?

Elbe derives from German Elbe, Old High German Elba, and Proto-Germanic albī, which trace to Proto-Indo-European h₂ep-, a root denoting flowing water or rivers.

Ancestry of “Elbe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanElbeAlternative form of Elb
2Middle High GermanElbe—
3Old High GermanElba—
4Proto-West Germanicalbielf, fairy
5Proto-Germanicalbīriver
6LatinAlbis—
7LatinAlbeus—

Words derived from “Elbe”

Every word from Latin Albeus →Every word from Proto-Germanic albī →Every word from Latin Albis →