Where does “kindergarten” come from?
Kindergarten comes from German Kindergarten, a compound of German Kind and Middle High German garte, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- meaning to beget or produce.
kindergarten (English): An educational institution for young children,...
Definitions
- An educational institution for young children,...
Ancestry of “kindergarten”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Kindergarten | nursery school; kindergarten; day care center |
| 2 | German | garten | inflection of garen: ## first/third-person plural... |
| 3 | German | Stadt | city; town; city center |
| 4 | Middle High German | stat | bank, shore |
| 5 | Old High German | stat | A city; a town; A site; a place; a spot |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | stadi | place |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | stadiz | place, location |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | stéh₂tis | standing, position |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | *steh₂- | — |