Where does “Kleintier” come from?
Kleintier (German) comes from German Tier, from Middle High German tier, from Old High German tior, from Proto-West Germanic deuʀ, from Proto-Germanic deuzą, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewsóm, from Proto-Indo-European dʰéws, from Proto-Indo-European dʰwes- — to breathe; breath; spirit, soul > creature.
Kleintier (German): small animal
Definitions
- small animal
Ancestry of “Kleintier”, step by step
Kleintier traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German Tier
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Tier | animal; A person who has a quality thought of as... |
| 2 | Middle High German | tier | — |
| 3 | Old High German | tior | animal |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | deuʀ | animal, beast |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | deuzą | animal, beast |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewsóm | living thing |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰéws | breath |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰwes- | to breathe; breath; spirit, soul > creature |
via German klein
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | klein | small, little, tiny, wee, small-scale; little,... |
| 2 | Middle High German | klein | — |
| 3 | Old High German | kleini | small, fine, slender; soft, clean; smart,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *klainī | fine, small |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | klainiz | shining, fine, splendid; tender, precious |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | g(e)lēi- | gleaming |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵel- | to swallow; swallow |