Where does “Hirngespinst” come from?

Hirngespinst (German) comes from German Hirn, from Middle High German hirne, from Old High German hirni, from Proto-West Germanic *hirʀnī — brain.

Hirngespinst (German): chimera, fantasy; pipe dream

Definitions

  1. chimera, fantasy; pipe dream

Ancestry of “Hirngespinst”, step by step

Hirngespinst traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Hirn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanHirnbrain
2Middle High Germanhirne—
3Old High Germanhirnibrain
4Proto-West Germanic*hirʀnībrain

via German Gespinst

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanGespinstspun yarn; web, tissue, cocoon
2Middle High Germangespunst—

Words derived from “Hirngespinst”

Every word from Proto-West Germanic *hirʀnī →Every word from Old High German hirni →Every word from Middle High German hirne →
Hirngespinst — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer