Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Falk” come from?

Falk (German) comes from German Falke, from Old High German falco, from Proto-West Germanic falkō, from Proto-Germanic falkô, from Proto-Indo-European pōl-, from Slovincian pól, from Proto-Slavic polъ, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pelH- — to split off, separate; to chop, to separate.

Ancestry of “Falk”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanFalkefalcon; hawk, hard-liner
2Old High Germanfalcofalcon
3Proto-West Germanicfalkōfalcon
4Proto-Germanicfalkôfalcon
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpōl-—
6Slovincianpól—
7Proto-Slavicpolъside, flank; half; member of a pair of options →...
8Proto-Indo-European(s)pelH-to split off, separate; to chop, to separate
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)pelH- →