Where does “Amtsdeutsch” come from?
Amtsdeutsch (German) comes from German Deutsch, from Old High German diutsch, from Old High German diutisc, from Proto-West Germanic þiudisk, from Proto-Germanic þiudiskaz, from Proto-Germanic þeudō, from Proto-Indo-European tewtéh₂, from Proto-Indo-European tewh₂- — to swell; to crowd; to be strong.
Amtsdeutsch (German): German bureaucratese, officialese the jargon-filled, obfuscatory and sometimes legalistic or euphemistic variety of the German language which is regarded as the language of German bureaucrats
Definitions
- German bureaucratese, officialese the jargon-filled, obfuscatory and sometimes legalistic or euphemistic variety of the German language which is regarded as the language of German bureaucrats
Ancestry of “Amtsdeutsch”, step by step
Amtsdeutsch traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German Deutsch
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Deutsch | German |
| 2 | Old High German | diutsch | — |
| 3 | Old High German | diutisc | Alternative form of diutisk; popular, vernacular;... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | þiudisk | of the people, popular, vernacular |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | þiudiskaz | of the people, popular; of the tribe |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | þeudō | people, tribe |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | tewtéh₂ | people, tribe |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | tewh₂- | to swell; to crowd; to be strong |
via German amt
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | amt | agency; department; office state institution responsible for specified concerns |
| 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 |