Where does “Bärendienst” come from?
Bärendienst (German) comes from German bär, from Middle High German bër, from Old High German beri, from Proto-West Germanic baʀi, from Proto-Germanic bazją, from Proto-Indo-European bʰeh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰeh₂-s-ri-.
Bärendienst (German): disservice; mistaken favour, poisoned chalice
Definitions
- disservice; mistaken favour, poisoned chalice
Ancestry of “Bärendienst”, step by step
Bärendienst traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German bär
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | bär | — |
| 2 | Middle High German | bër | bear |
| 3 | Old High German | beri | A berry |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | baʀi | berry |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bazją | berry |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeh₂- | to shine, glow light; to speak, say |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeh₂-s-ri- | — |
via German dienst
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | dienst | second-person singular present of dienen |
| 2 | Middle High German | dienst | — |
| 3 | Old High German | dionest | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | þewanōstaz | service |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | tekʷ- | to run, to flow |