Where does “Freiburg” come from?
I need to work through this carefully, as there are some issues with the chain provided.
Looking at the chain:
- German frei | Old High German burg | Proto-Germanic burgz | Proto-Indo-European bʰrgʰ- | Proto-Indo-European bʰrgʰ- | Proto-Indo-European bʰerǵʰ-
Problems I notice:
1. "German frei" means "free" - it doesn't lead to "Freiburg"
2. The chain seems confused - "Freiburg" is "frei" (free) + "burg" (city/fortress), so it should trace "burg" not "frei"
3. There are duplicate steps (bʰrgʰ- appears twice)
4. The progression doesn't clearly show how we get from these roots to the modern word
However,
Ancestry of “Freiburg”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | Freiburg | — |
| 2 | German | frei | free; unenslaved; unimprisoned; free;... |
| 3 | Middle High German | vrî | — |
| 4 | Old High German | frī | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | frī | free |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | frijaz | free |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | priHós | dear, beloved; happy, free |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | preyH- | to love, to please |