Where does “Geigenspiel” come from?

Geigenspiel (German) comes from German Geige, from Middle High German gīge, from Old High German gīga, from Proto-Germanic gīganą, from Proto-Indo-European gʰeyǵʰ-.

Geigenspiel (German): violin playing

Definitions

  1. violin playing

Ancestry of “Geigenspiel”, step by step

Geigenspiel traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Geige

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanGeigeviolin, fiddle
2Middle High Germangīge—
3Old High Germangīgafiddle
4Proto-Germanicgīganąto move, wish, desire
5Proto-Indo-Europeangʰeyǵʰ-—

via German spiel

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanspiela game instance or way of playing
2Middle High Germanspil—
3Old High Germanspil—
4Proto-West Germanicspildance; game, exercise
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰeyǵʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic gīganą →Every word from Old High German gīga →