Where does “Snow White” come from?
Snow White (English) comes from German Schneewittchen, from German Low German Sneewittken, from German Low German witt, from Old Saxon hwīt, from Proto-Germanic *hwīt, from Proto-Germanic hwītaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱweytos — bright; shine; shine; bright.
Snow White (English): A fairy tale, the best-known version of Schneewittchen collected by the Brothers Grimm, in which a beautiful young girl is targeted by a jealous queen and tended by dwarfs
Definitions
- A fairy tale, the best-known version of Schneewittchen collected by the Brothers Grimm, in which a beautiful young girl is targeted by a jealous queen and tended by dwarfs
Ancestry of “Snow White”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Schneewittchen | a girl or woman with black or dark brown hair and... |
| 2 | German Low German | Sneewittken | — |
| 3 | German Low German | witt | white; clean |
| 4 | Old Saxon | hwīt | white |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *hwīt | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hwītaz | white |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱweytos | bright; shine; shine; bright |