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
- ghost train
Ancestry of “Geisterbahn”, step by step
Geisterbahn traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German Bahn
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Bahn | route, trail; rail transport; tram, train;... |
| 2 | Middle High German | ban | — |
| 3 | Old High German | bana | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *banu | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | banō | a battlefield; a clearing; open space; a cleared... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | banô | murderer |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷʰon-on- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷʰen- | to strike, slay, kill |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰon- | — |