Where does “Brettspiel” come from?

Brettspiel (German) comes from German brett, from Middle High German bret, from Old High German bret, from Proto-West Germanic *bred, from Proto-Germanic bredą, from Proto-Germanic bʰredʰóm, from Proto-Indo-European bʰer-dʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰer- — to bear, carry.

Brettspiel (German): board game

Definitions

  1. board game

Ancestry of “Brettspiel”, step by step

Brettspiel traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German brett

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanbrettboard, plank
2Middle High Germanbreta board, a plank
3Old High Germanbret—
4Proto-West Germanic*bred—
5Proto-Germanicbredąboard, plank, shelf
6Proto-Germanicbʰredʰóm—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰer-dʰ-—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰer-to bear, carry

via German spiel

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanspiela game instance or way of playing
2Middle High Germanspil—
3Old High Germanspil—
4Proto-West Germanicspildance; game, exercise
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰer- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰer-dʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic bʰredʰóm →