Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “hornfels” come from?

hornfels (English) comes from German Hornfels, from German horn, from Middle High German horn, from Old High German horn, from Proto-West Germanic horn, from Proto-Germanic hurną, from Proto-Indo-European ḱer-, from Proto-Indo-European kr̥- — army.

hornfels (English): Any of a series of contact metamorphic rocks that...

Definitions

  1. Any of a series of contact metamorphic rocks that...

Ancestry of “hornfels”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanHornfelshornfels
2Germanhorn—
3Middle High Germanhorn—
4Old High Germanhornhorn
5Proto-West Germanichornhorn
6Proto-Germanichurnąhorn
7Proto-Indo-Europeanḱer-to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,...
8Proto-Indo-Europeankr̥-to turn, to bend
9Proto-Indo-Europeanker-army
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ker- →