Where does “world war” come from?
world war (English) comes from German Weltkrieg, from German krieg, from Middle High German kriec, from Old High German krig, from Proto-West Germanic krīg, from Proto-Germanic krīganą, from Proto-Indo-European gʷrihg(ʰ)-o-, from Proto-Indo-European gʷréh₂us — Forms adjectives from Caland system roots.
world war (English): A war involving the major nations of the world
Definitions
- A war involving the major nations of the world
Ancestry of “world war”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Weltkrieg | world war |
| 2 | German | krieg | singular imperative of kriegen |
| 3 | Middle High German | kriec | exertion; enmity; opposition |
| 4 | Old High German | krig | stubbornness; defiance |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | krīg | strife; struggle; fight |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | krīganą | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷrihg(ʰ)-o- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷréh₂us | heavy |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -us | Forms adjectives from Caland system roots |