Where does “ërde” come from?
ërde (German) comes from Middle High German ërde, from Old High German erda, from Proto-West Germanic erþu, from Proto-Germanic erþō, from Proto-Indo-European h₁er- — earth.
Ancestry of “ërde”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | ërde | — |
| 2 | Old High German | erda | The Earth; earth, ground, soil |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | erþu | earth, world; earth, soil |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | erþō | earth |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁er- | earth |