Where does “Spiegel” come from?
Spiegel comes from German Spiegel, derived from Middle High German spiegel, from Old High German spiegal, from Latin speculum, a diminutive formation ultimately rooted in Proto-Indo-European -trom.
Ancestry of “Spiegel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | spiegel | inflection of spiegeln: ## first-person singular... |
| 2 | Middle High German | spiegel | mirror |
| 3 | Old Saxon | spiagal | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *spēgl | — |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | speglum | — |
| 6 | Latin | speculum | a looking-glass, mirror |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -klom | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tlom | Alternative form of *-trom |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |