Where does “Hanover” come from?
Hanover (German) comes from Middle Low German over, from Old Saxon ōvar, from Old English ōfer, from Proto-West Germanic obar, from Proto-Germanic uber, from Proto-Indo-European upér, from Proto-Indo-European upó, from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp-.
Ancestry of “Hanover”, step by step
Hanover traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle Low German over
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Low German | over | across, moving through or over something; across,... |
| 2 | Old Saxon | ōvar | over |
| 3 | Old English | ōfer | riverbank, seashore, brink, edge, margin, border |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | obar | over, above |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | uber | over; over, above |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | upér | above; over |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | upó | under, below |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ewp- | — |
via Middle Low German hôch
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Low German | hôch | — |
| 2 | Middle English | hoh | — |
| 3 | Finnish | höh | An exclamation or expression of concern, or... |
| 4 | Middle High German | hōch | — |
| 5 | Old High German | hōh | high, tall, elevated |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | hauh | high |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | hauhaz | high |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱewk- | flare up, glow; white; to glow, burn, lighten |