Where does “Gemeinwohl” come from?

Gemeinwohl (German) comes from German gemein, from Middle High German gemein, from Old High German gimeinī, from Proto-West Germanic gamainī, from Proto-Germanic gamainiz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱom-moynis.

Gemeinwohl (German): common good

Definitions

  1. common good

Ancestry of “Gemeinwohl”, step by step

Gemeinwohl traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German gemein

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germangemeinmean, base, nasty, cruel, wicked, vile, vicious,...
2Middle High Germangemein
3Old High Germangimeinī
4Proto-West Germanicgamainīcommon; shared, communal
5Proto-Germanicgamainizshared, communal, public; common, ordinary
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱom-moynis

via German Wohl

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanWohlgood; weal; wealthy
2Middle High Germanwolwell
3Old High Germanwolawell
4Proto-Germanic*wela
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwelh₁-to choose; to want
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱom-moynisEvery word from Proto-Germanic gamainizEvery word from Proto-West Germanic gamainī