Where does “umlaut” come from?
umlaut (English) comes from German umlaut, from German Laut, from Middle High German lūt, from Old High German lūt, from Proto-West Germanic hlūd, from Proto-Germanic hlūdaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱlewtos, from Proto-Indo-European ḱlew- — to cover; to incline.
umlaut (English): An assimilatory process whereby a vowel is...
Definitions
- An assimilatory process whereby a vowel is...
Ancestry of “umlaut”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | umlaut | — |
| 2 | German | Laut | sound; noise |
| 3 | Middle High German | lūt | — |
| 4 | Old High German | lūt | loud |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | hlūd | loud; sound |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hlūdaz | loud; famous |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱlewtos | heard, famous |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱlew- | to hear |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |
Words derived from “umlaut”