Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Dummkopf” come from?

Dummkopf (German) comes from German dumm, from Middle High German tump, from Old High German tumb, from Proto-West Germanic dumb, from Proto-Germanic dumbaz, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- — smoke; mist, haze.

Dummkopf (German): a fool, an idiot, a ninny

Definitions

  1. a fool, an idiot, a ninny

Ancestry of “Dummkopf”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germandummdumb, stupid
2Middle High Germantump—
3Old High Germantumbdumb; stupid
4Proto-West Germanicdumbdumb, mute
5Proto-Germanicdumbazdumb, mute, unable to speak
6Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewbʰ-deep
7Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “Dummkopf”

  • dummkopf
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →