Where does “Giftzwerg” come from?

Giftzwerg (German) comes from German gift, from Middle High German gift, from Old High German gift, from Proto-West Germanic *gifti, from Proto-Germanic giftiz, from Proto-Germanic gebaną, from Proto-Indo-European gʰebʰ- — to give.

Giftzwerg (German): a spiteful person, often, but not necessarily, of short stature

Definitions

  1. a spiteful person, often, but not necessarily, of short stature

Ancestry of “Giftzwerg”, step by step

Giftzwerg traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German gift

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germangiftpoison; toxin; venom
2Middle High Germangiftgift, something given
3Old High Germangiftgift
4Proto-West Germanic*gifti—
5Proto-Germanicgiftizgiving, gift
6Proto-Germanicgebanąto give
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʰebʰ-to give

via German Zwerg

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanZwergdwarf; dwarf, midget; gnome
2Middle High Germantwerc—
3Old High Germantwercdwarf
4Proto-West Germanicdwergdwarf
5Proto-Germanicdwergazdwarf
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰebʰ- →
Giftzwerg — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer