Where does “Ehrenamt” come from?
Ehrenamt (German) comes from German Ehre, from Middle High German ēre, from Old High German ēra, from Proto-West Germanic aiʀu, from Proto-Germanic aizō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂oys-éh₂, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eys- — to wish; to request.
Ehrenamt (German): volunteer work
Definitions
- volunteer work
Ancestry of “Ehrenamt”, step by step
Ehrenamt traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German Ehre
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Ehre | honour; honor; credit; kudos |
| 2 | Middle High German | ēre | honour, respect, renown |
| 3 | Old High German | ēra | honour, fame, sense of honour |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | aiʀu | honour; respect, reverence |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | aizō | fear; reverence; honour |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂oys-éh₂ | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eys- | to wish; to request |
via German amt
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | amt | agency; department; office state institution responsible for specified concerns |
| 2 | Middle High German | ambahte | — |
| 3 | Old High German | ambahti | position, office |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | ambahtaz | servant |
| 5 | Gaulish | ambaxtos | vassal, high-ranking servant |
| 6 | Proto-Celtic | ambaxtos | servant |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eǵ- | to drive |