Where does “Briefkastenfirma” come from?
Briefkastenfirma (German) comes from German Briefkasten, from German brief, from Middle High German brief, from Old High German briaf, from Latin breve, from Latin brevis, from Proto-Italic *breɣʷis, from Proto-Indo-European mréǵʰus — short.
Briefkastenfirma (German): shell company
Ancestry of “Briefkastenfirma”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | Briefkasten | mailbox, letterbox |
| 2 | German | brief | — |
| 3 | Middle High German | brief | — |
| 4 | Old High German | briaf | — |
| 5 | Latin | breve | nominative neuter singular of brevis; accusative... |
| 6 | Latin | brevis | short, small, little, narrow; brief, short;... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | *breɣʷis | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mréǵʰus | short; brief |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | mreǵʰ- | short |