Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Zeitgeist” come from?

Zeitgeist (English) comes from German Zeitgeist, from German Zeit, from Middle High German zīt, from Old High German zīt, from Proto-Indo-European déh₂itis, from Proto-Indo-European deh₂y-, from Proto-Indo-European deh₂- — to share, divide.

Zeitgeist (English): Alternative letter-case form of zeitgeist

Definitions

  1. Alternative letter-case form of zeitgeist

Ancestry of “Zeitgeist”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanZeitgeistspirit of the age; zeitgeist
2GermanZeittime; time of day; period, era
3Middle High Germanzīttime
4Old High Germanzīttime
5Proto-Indo-Europeandéh₂itisinterval, period of time
6Proto-Indo-Europeandeh₂y-to share, divide
7Proto-Indo-Europeandeh₂-to share, divide
Every word from Proto-Indo-European deh₂- →