Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Erzfeind” come from?

Erzfeind (German) comes from German erz-, from Middle High German erz-, from Old High German erzi-, from Latin archi-, from Ancient Greek ἀρχι-, from Ancient Greek ἄρχω, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ergʰ- — to begin; to command, rule; to begin, rule,...

Erzfeind (German): archenemy, archfiend, archfoe

Definitions

  1. archenemy, archfiend, archfoe

Ancestry of “Erzfeind”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanerz-arch-, ultra-
2Middle High Germanerz-—
3Old High Germanerzi-—
4Latinarchi-arch-, archi-
5Ancient Greekἀρχι-denotes primary importance or authority
6Ancient GreekἄρχωTo begin; To lead, rule, govern, command; To be...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ergʰ-to begin; to command, rule; to begin, rule,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ergʰ- →