Where does “Hirnwurm” come from?

Hirnwurm (German) comes from German wurm, from Middle High German wurm, from Old High German wurm, from Proto-West Germanic wurmi, from Proto-Germanic wurmiz, from Proto-Indo-European wr̥mis, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

Hirnwurm (German): brainworm

Definitions

  1. brainworm

Ancestry of “Hirnwurm”, step by step

Hirnwurm traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German wurm

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanwurmwyrm, dragon
2Middle High Germanwurm—
3Old High Germanwurmsnake
4Proto-West Germanicwurmiworm; serpent, snake
5Proto-Germanicwurmizworm; serpent, snake
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwr̥misworm
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

via German Hirn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanHirnbrain
2Middle High Germanhirne—
3Old High Germanhirnibrain
4Proto-West Germanic*hirʀnībrain
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →