Where does “Brockengespenst” come from?

Brockengespenst (German) comes from German brocken, from Middle High German brocken, from Old High German brocchōn, from Proto-West Germanic brekan, from Proto-Germanic brekaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰrēǵ- — to shine, shimmer.

Brockengespenst (German): Brocken spectre

Definitions

  1. Brocken spectre

Ancestry of “Brockengespenst”, step by step

Brockengespenst traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German brocken

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanbrockento break; to pick
2Middle High Germanbrockento break into pieces
3Old High Germanbrocchōn—
4Proto-West Germanicbrekanto break
5Proto-Germanicbrekanąto break
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰrēǵ-to shine, shimmer

via German gespenst

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germangespenstghost, spectre
2Middle High Germangespenst—
3Old High Germangispenstitemptation, illusion
4Old High Germanspananto lure, to attract
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰrēǵ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic brekaną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic brekan →