Where does “Elephantenlaus” come from?

Elephantenlaus (German) comes from German Laus, from Middle High German lūs, from Old High German lūs, from Proto-West Germanic lus, from Proto-Germanic lūs, from Proto-Indo-European lewH- — louse.

Ancestry of “Elephantenlaus”, step by step

Elephantenlaus traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Laus

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanLauslouse
2Middle High Germanlūsa louse
3Old High Germanlūs—
4Proto-West Germanicluslouse
5Proto-Germaniclūslouse
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanlewH-louse

via German Elephant

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanElephant—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewH- →
Elephantenlaus — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer