Where does “Abtreibung” come from?
Abtreibung (German) comes from German abtreiben, from German treiben, from Middle High German trīben, from Old High German drīvan, from Proto-West Germanic drīban, from Proto-Germanic drībaną, from Proto-Indo-European dʰreybʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European dʰer- — to support; to hold.
Abtreibung (German): abortion
Ancestry of “Abtreibung”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | abtreiben | to go/be sent off course; to have an abortion; to... |
| 2 | German | treiben | to drive ; to propel; to force; to put forth; to... |
| 3 | Middle High German | trīben | — |
| 4 | Old High German | drīvan | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | drīban | to drive, to push, to compel to go |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | drībaną | to drive, push, compel to go |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰreybʰ- | to drive, push |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer- | to support; to hold |