Where does “Heiligabend” come from?

Heiligabend (German) comes from German heilig, from German heilic, from Old High German heilag, from Proto-West Germanic hailag, from Proto-Germanic hailagaz, from Proto-Germanic hailaz, from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos — healthy.

Heiligabend (German): Christmas Eve (day before Christmas Day)

Definitions

  1. Christmas Eve (day before Christmas Day)

Ancestry of “Heiligabend”, step by step

Heiligabend traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German heilig

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanheiligholy; sacred
2Germanheilic—
3Old High Germanheilagholy
4Proto-West Germanichailagholy, sacred
5Proto-Germanichailagazholy, sacred
6Proto-Germanichailazwhole, unbroken, intact; entire, complete; hale,...
7Proto-Indo-European*kéh₂iloshealthy

via German Abend

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanAbendevening; the time from dusk onwards; The west
2Middle High Germanābent—
3Old High Germanābandevening
4Proto-West Germanicābanþevening
5Proto-Germanicēbanþsevening
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁epion, at, near
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁eps—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos →