Where does “Briefgeheimnis” come from?
Briefgeheimnis (German) comes from German Geheimnis, from German geheim, from German ge-, from Middle High German ge-, from Old High German ga-, from Proto-West Germanic ga-, from Proto-Germanic ga-, from Proto-Indo-European ḱóm — resin, gum; to say, speak.
Briefgeheimnis (German): secrecy of correspondence
Definitions
- secrecy of correspondence
Ancestry of “Briefgeheimnis”, step by step
Briefgeheimnis traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German Geheimnis
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Geheimnis | secret |
| 2 | German | geheim | secret |
| 3 | German | ge- | Forms collective nouns, almost always neuter... |
| 4 | Middle High German | ge- | — |
| 5 | Old High German | ga- | with |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | ga- | used as an intensifier for verbs, indicating... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | ga- | Indicates association or togetherness; co-;... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 10 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 11 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 12 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 13 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 14 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
via German brief
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | brief | letter (written message) |
| 2 | Middle High German | brief | — |
| 3 | Old High German | briaf | — |
| 4 | Latin | breve | nominative neuter singular of brevis; accusative... |
| 5 | Latin | brevis | short, small, little, narrow; brief, short;... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *breɣʷis | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mréǵʰus | short; brief |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mreǵʰ- | short |