Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Szlachta” come from?

Szlachta (English) comes from Polish szlachta, from Old Polish [[ślachta]], [[ślechta]], from Middle High German slahte, from Old High German slahta, from Proto-Germanic slahtō, from Proto-Germanic slahaną, from Proto-Indo-European slak- — to hit; strike; to hit, strike, throw; to hit,...

Ancestry of “Szlachta”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Polishszlachtanobility
2Old Polish[[ślachta]], [[ślechta]]—
3Middle High Germanslahtegenus, kind, species, race
4Old High Germanslahta—
5Proto-Germanicslahtō—
6Proto-Germanicslahanąto hit, to strike; to kill
7Proto-Indo-Europeanslak-to hit; strike; to hit, strike, throw; to hit,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European slak- →