Where does “Glühwurm” come from?

Glühwurm (German) comes from German wurm, from Middle High German wurm, from Old High German wurm, from Proto-West Germanic wurmi, from Proto-Germanic wurmiz, from Proto-Indo-European wr̥mis, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

Glühwurm (German): glowworm, firefly

Definitions

  1. glowworm, firefly

Ancestry of “Glühwurm”, step by step

Glühwurm traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German wurm

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanwurmwyrm, dragon
2Middle High Germanwurm—
3Old High Germanwurmsnake
4Proto-West Germanicwurmiworm; serpent, snake
5Proto-Germanicwurmizworm; serpent, snake
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwr̥misworm
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

via German Glühen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanGlühengerund of glühen; glow; incandescence
2Middle High Germanglüejen—
3Old High Germangluoento glow
4Proto-West Germanic*glōanto glow
5Proto-Germanicglōanąto glow
6Proto-Indo-European*ǵʰleh₁-to shine, glow
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →