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
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | Elbe | Alternative form of Elb |
| 2 | Middle High German | Elbe | — |
| 3 | Old High German | Elba | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | albi | elf, fairy |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | albī | river |
| 6 | Latin | Albis | — |
| 7 | Latin | Albeus | — |
Words derived from “Elbe”