Where does “Allgemeinwohl” come from?

Allgemeinwohl (German) comes from German allgemein, from German All, from Middle High German āl, from Old High German āl, from Proto-West Germanic all, from Proto-Germanic allaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂él- — to grow, nourish.

Allgemeinwohl (German): public good, common good

Definitions

  1. public good, common good

Ancestry of “Allgemeinwohl”, step by step

Allgemeinwohl traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German allgemein

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanallgemeingeneral (common, basic, usual), universal
2GermanAllcosmos
3Middle High Germanāl
4Old High Germanālall
5Proto-West Germanicallall
6Proto-Germanicallazall
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂él-to grow, nourish

via German Wohl

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanWohlgood; weal; wealthy
2Middle High Germanwolwell
3Old High Germanwolawell
4Proto-Germanic*wela
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwelh₁-to choose; to want
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂él-Every word from Proto-Germanic allazEvery word from Proto-West Germanic all