Where does “Bergstraße” come from?

Bergstraße (German) comes from German berg, from Middle High German bërc, from Old High German berg, from Proto-West Germanic berg, from Proto-Germanic bergaz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰerǵʰ- — to rise; high, lofty; hill, mountain.

Bergstraße (German): mountain road

Definitions

  1. mountain road

Ancestry of “Bergstraße”, step by step

Bergstraße traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German berg

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanberga mountain, hill
2Middle High Germanbërca mountain
3Old High Germanbergmountain, hill
4Proto-West Germanicberghill, mountain
5Proto-Germanicbergazhill; mountain; refuge; shelter
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰerǵʰ-to rise; high, lofty; hill, mountain

via German straße

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanstraßestreet; road a way wide enough to be passable for vehicles, generally paved, in or outside a settlement
2Middle High Germanstrāȥe—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰerǵʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic bergaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic berg →