Where does “Kirchenglöckchen” come from?
Kirchenglöckchen (German) comes from German Kirchenglocke, from German glocke, from Middle High German glocke, from Old High German klocca, from Proto-West Germanic *klokkā, from Medieval Latin clocca, from Old Irish cloc, from Proto-Celtic klokkos.
Ancestry of “Kirchenglöckchen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Kirchenglocke | church bell |
| 2 | German | glocke | bell percussive instrument |
| 3 | Middle High German | glocke | — |
| 4 | Old High German | klocca | bell; clock |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *klokkā | bell |
| 6 | Medieval Latin | clocca | bell; travelers' cape, literally “a bell”, so... |
| 7 | Old Irish | cloc | bell; clock |
| 8 | Proto-Celtic | klokkos | bell |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | klēg- | — |