Where does “Eintagsfliege” come from?

Eintagsfliege (German) comes from German tag, from German guten Tag, from Alemannic German Tag, from Middle High German tac, from Old High German tag, from Proto-West Germanic dag, from Proto-Germanic dagaz, from Proto-Indo-European dʰegʷʰ- — to burn; warm, hot.

Eintagsfliege (German): mayfly

Definitions

  1. mayfly

Ancestry of “Eintagsfliege”, step by step

Eintagsfliege traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via German tag

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germantagsingular imperative of tagen
2Germanguten Taghello, good day, good afternoon
3Alemannic GermanTagday
4Middle High GermantacAlternative form of tag
5Old High Germantagday
6Proto-West Germanicdagday
7Proto-Germanicdagazday; name of the D-rune
8Proto-Indo-Europeandʰegʷʰ-to burn; warm, hot

via German fliege

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanfliegeinflection of fliegen: ## first-person singular...
2Middle High Germanfliege
3Old High Germanfliogafly
4Proto-Germanicfleugǭflying insect, fly
5Proto-Germanicfleuganąto fly
6Proto-Indo-Europeanplewk-to fly, flow, run; to splash, to flap with hands
7Proto-Indo-Europeanplew-to fly, flow, run

via German ein

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germaneinone; a, an; indicating motion into something
2Middle High Germaneinone
3Old High Germaneinone; only
4Proto-West Germanicainone
5Proto-Germanicainazone; some
6Proto-Indo-Europeanóynosone; single
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰegʷʰ-