Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Hauptbahnhof” come from?

Hauptbahnhof (German) comes from German Bahnhof, 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-.

Hauptbahnhof (German): central/main train station

Definitions

  1. central/main train station

Ancestry of “Hauptbahnhof”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanBahnhoftrain station
2GermanBahnroute, trail; rail transport; tram, train;...
3Middle High Germanban—
4Old High Germanbana—
5Proto-West Germanic*banu—
6Proto-Germanicbanōa battlefield; a clearing; open space; a cleared...
7Proto-Germanicbanômurderer
8Proto-Indo-Europeangʷʰon-on-—
9Proto-Indo-Europeangʷʰen-to strike, slay, kill
10Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰon-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰon- →