Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Irrsinn” come from?

Irrsinn (German) comes from German sinn, from Middle High German sīn, from Old High German sīn, from Proto-West Germanic sinn, from Proto-Germanic sinnaz, from Proto-Indo-European sentnós, from Proto-Indo-European sent-, from Proto-Indo-European h₁es- — to be.

Irrsinn (German): insanity, madness

Definitions

  1. insanity, madness

Ancestry of “Irrsinn”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germansinnsingular imperative of sinnen
2Middle High Germansīn—
3Old High Germansīnhis; to be
4Proto-West Germanicsinnsense, perception; sense, meaning; reason, mental...
5Proto-Germanicsinnazsense, perception; sense, meaning
6Proto-Indo-Europeansentnós—
7Proto-Indo-Europeansent-to head for, to go, to travel; to feel
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁es-to be

Words derived from “Irrsinn”

  • Irrsinnigkeit
  • irrsinnigerweise
  • irrsinnig
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁es- →