Where does “Amtmann” come from?
Amtmann (German) comes from German amt, from Middle High German ambahte, from Old High German ambahti, from Proto-Germanic ambahtaz, from Gaulish ambaxtos, from Proto-Celtic ambaxtos, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- — to drive.
Ancestry of “Amtmann”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | amt | — |
| 2 | Middle High German | ambahte | — |
| 3 | Old High German | ambahti | position, office |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | ambahtaz | servant |
| 5 | Gaulish | ambaxtos | vassal, high-ranking servant |
| 6 | Proto-Celtic | ambaxtos | servant |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eǵ- | to drive |