Where does “Altstadt” come from?

Altstadt (German) comes from German Stadt, 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-.

Altstadt (German): historic city center, old town

Definitions

  1. historic city center, old town

Ancestry of “Altstadt”, step by step

Altstadt traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Stadt

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanStadtcity; town; city center
2Middle High Germanstatbank, shore
3Old High GermanstatA city; a town; A site; a place; a spot
4Proto-West Germanicstadiplace
5Proto-Germanicstadizplace, location
6Proto-Indo-Europeanstéh₂tisstanding, position
7Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-—

via German Alt

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanAltalto; A type of beer, typical to the Rhineland...
2Middle High Germanalt—
3Old High Germanaltold
4Proto-West Germanicaldold
5Proto-Germanicaldazold, grown up
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eltós—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂él-to grow, nourish
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- →