Where does “Erfindergeist” come from?

Erfindergeist (German) comes from German Erfinder, from German erfinden, from German er-, from Middle High German er-, from Old High German ir-, from Proto-West Germanic uʀ-, from Proto-Germanic uz-, from Proto-Indo-European uss- — out, outward.

Erfindergeist (German): ingenuity

Definitions

  1. ingenuity

Ancestry of “Erfindergeist”, step by step

Erfindergeist traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Erfinder

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanErfinderinventor
2Germanerfindento invent
3Germaner-Inseparable verbal prefix that indicates a...
4Middle High Germaner-—
5Old High Germanir-thoroughly
6Proto-West Germanicuʀ-out, over; off, away
7Proto-Germanicuz-up, out
8Proto-Indo-Europeanuss-—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanuds-up, out
10Proto-Indo-Europeanúdout, outward

via German geist

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germangeistspirit
2Middle High Germangeist—
3Old High Germangeistspirit
4Proto-West Germanicgaistghost, spirit
5Proto-Germanicgaistazterror, fear; spirit, ghost; mind
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰeysd-anger, agitation
Every word from Proto-Indo-European úd →Every word from Proto-Indo-European uds- →Every word from German er- →