Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Hiwi” come from?

Hiwi (English) comes from German Hiwi, from German Hilfswilliger, from German willig, from German -ig, from German -jährig, from German Jahr, from Middle High German jār, from Old High German jār — year.

Hiwi (English): A member of a nomadic hunter-gatherer people of...

Definitions

  1. A member of a nomadic hunter-gatherer people of...

Ancestry of “Hiwi”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanHiwiunskilled worker, grunt, hand, drudge
2GermanHilfswilligervoluntary assistant; Hiwi; foreign collaborator...
3Germanwilligwilling; amorous, randy, horny
4German-ig-y; forms adjectives from nouns; forms adjectives...
5German-jährigyears old; years lasting
6GermanJahryear
7Middle High Germanjāryear
8Old High Germanjāryear
9Proto-West Germanicjāryear
10Proto-Germanicjērąyear; name of the J-rune
11Proto-Indo-Europeanyeh₁r-year
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yeh₁r- →