Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Eltern” come from?

Eltern (German) comes from Old High German eltirōn, from Proto-Germanic alþizô, from Proto-Germanic aldaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eltós, from Proto-Indo-European h₂él-.

Eltern (German): parents

Definitions

  1. parents

Ancestry of “Eltern”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germaneltirōn—
2Proto-Germanicalþizôcomparative degree of *aldaz
3Proto-Germanicaldazold, grown up
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eltós—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂él-—

Words derived from “Eltern”

  • elterlich
  • Elternabend
  • Elternschaft
  • Elternteil
  • elternlos
  • Elterenhaus
  • Elteren
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂él- →