Where does “Fernsprechautomat” come from?
Fernsprechautomat (German) comes from German Fernsprecher, from German fern, from Middle High German verren, from Old High German ferrana, from Old High German ferro, from Proto-West Germanic *ferrō, from Proto-Germanic ferrai, from Proto-Indo-European per-nóy — passed , crossed.
Fernsprechautomat (German): payphone
Definitions
- payphone
Ancestry of “Fernsprechautomat”, step by step
Fernsprechautomat traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German Fernsprecher
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Fernsprecher | telephone |
| 2 | German | fern | remote; far away |
| 3 | Middle High German | verren | — |
| 4 | Old High German | ferrana | from afar |
| 5 | Old High German | ferro | afar; skipper |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | *ferrō | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | ferrai | far, distant |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | per-nóy | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via German automat
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | automat | automaton, machine |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | αὐτόματον | accident, mere chance |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | αὐτόματος | self-willed, unbidden; self-moving,... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | μέμαα | to wish eagerly, strive, yearn, desire |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | μέμονα | to be minded or inclined; to be eager; to hasten |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | memóne | to think, to be mindful; to remember |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | men- | to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,... |