Where does “netherworld” come from?
Netherworld comes from Middle English nither-world, combining Old English niþer- (lower) from Proto-Germanic weraldiz (age, world) and weraz (man), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ni- (down), al- (to grow), and h₂el- (to grow).
netherworld (English): The place to which one's spirit descends upon...
Definitions
- The place to which one's spirit descends upon...
Ancestry of “netherworld”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | World | The specific world, or any of several specific constituent worlds, that humans live in, among any other (real or possible) worlds |
| 2 | Middle English | world | The world, the planet; A dimension, realm, or... |
| 3 | Old English | weorold | world |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | weraldi | world |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | weraldiz | lifetime, worldly existence; mankind; world |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | weraz | man; husband |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wiHrós | man; husband; warrior, hero |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | weyh₁- | to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute |