Where does “Geisterbahn” come from?

Geisterbahn (German) comes from German Bahn, from Middle High German ban, from Old High German bana, from Proto-West Germanic *banu, from Proto-Germanic banō, from Proto-Germanic banô, from Proto-Indo-European gʷʰon-on-, from Proto-Indo-European gʷʰen-.

Geisterbahn (German): ghost train

Definitions

  1. ghost train

Ancestry of “Geisterbahn”, step by step

Geisterbahn traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Bahn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanBahnroute, trail; rail transport; tram, train;...
2Middle High Germanban—
3Old High Germanbana—
4Proto-West Germanic*banu—
5Proto-Germanicbanōa battlefield; a clearing; open space; a cleared...
6Proto-Germanicbanômurderer
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʷʰon-on-—
8Proto-Indo-Europeangʷʰen-to strike, slay, kill
9Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰon-—

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 bʰon- →