Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Beil” come from?

Beil (German) comes from Middle High German bīl, from Old High German bīhal, from Proto-Germanic bíþla-, from Proto-Germanic bītaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰeyd-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰey- — bee.

Beil (German): axe, hatchet

Definitions

  1. axe, hatchet

Ancestry of “Beil”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanbīl—
2Old High Germanbīhal—
3Proto-Germanicbíþla-axe
4Proto-Germanicbītanąto bite
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰeyd-to split
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰey-bee

Words derived from “Beil”

  • Fallbeil
  • Kriegsbeil
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰey- →