Where does “Karteileiche” come from?
Karteileiche (German) comes from German Kartei, from German karte, from Middle High German karte, from Old French carte, from Latin charta, from French cartel, from Italian cartello, from Italian carta — to yearn for; to enclose; bowels, intestines.
Karteileiche (German): nominal member
Ancestry of “Karteileiche”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | Kartei | card index, card catalog |
| 2 | German | karte | — |
| 3 | Middle High German | karte | — |
| 4 | Old French | carte | Alternative form of chartre |
| 5 | Latin | charta | papyrus, paper; poem, a writing; map |
| 6 | French | cartel | a cartel |
| 7 | Italian | cartello | sign, notice, placard, signboard; signpost, road... |
| 8 | Italian | carta | paper; map; menu |
| 9 | Latin | carta | papyrus; letter etc |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | χάρτης | sheet of paper, paper; book |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | χαράσσω | to sharpen; to engrave, carve, write, draw, stamp |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰer- | to yearn for; to enclose; bowels, intestines |