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.
Ancestry of “Heiligabend”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | heilig | holy; sacred |
| 2 | German | heilic | — |
| 3 | Old High German | heilag | holy |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hailag | holy, sacred |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hailagaz | holy, sacred |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hailaz | whole, unbroken, intact; entire, complete; hale,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | *kéh₂ilos | — |