Where does “shtetl” come from?
shtetl (French) comes from Yiddish שטעטל, from Yiddish שטאָט, from Middle High German stat, from Old High German stat, from Proto-West Germanic stadi, from Proto-Germanic stadiz, from Proto-Indo-European stéh₂tis, from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂-.
shtetl (French): shtetl
Ancestry of “shtetl”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Yiddish | שטעטל | small town, village; shtetl |
| 2 | Yiddish | שטאָט | city |
| 3 | Middle High German | stat | bank, shore |
| 4 | Old High German | stat | A city; a town; A site; a place; a spot |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | stadi | place |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | stadiz | place, location |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | stéh₂tis | standing, position |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | *steh₂- | — |