Where does “luftmensch” come from?
luftmensch (English) comes from Yiddish לופֿטמענטש, from Yiddish לופֿט, from Middle High German luft, from Old High German luft, from Proto-West Germanic luftu, from Proto-Germanic luftuz, from Proto-Indo-European lewp-, from Proto-Indo-European lew- — dirt, mud; to cut, remove, prune, separate; to...
luftmensch (English): One more concerned with airy intellectual...
Definitions
- One more concerned with airy intellectual...
Ancestry of “luftmensch”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yiddish | לופֿטמענטש | luftmensch |
| 2 | Yiddish | לופֿט | air |
| 3 | Middle High German | luft | — |
| 4 | Old High German | luft | air |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | luftu | roof; air |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | luftuz | roof; roof of the earth, firmament; heavens, sky;... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lewp- | peel, break off; to flake off, peel, damage; to... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | lew- | dirt, mud; to cut, remove, prune, separate; to... |