Where does “Kleinwagen” come from?
Kleinwagen (German) comes from German wägen, from Middle High German wāgen, from Middle High German wāge, from Middle Low German wāge, from Old Saxon wag, from Proto-West Germanic wāg, from Proto-Germanic wēgaz, from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ- — to bring; to transport.
Kleinwagen (German): a small car
Definitions
- a small car
Ancestry of “Kleinwagen”, step by step
Kleinwagen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German wägen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | wägen | to weigh something |
| 2 | Middle High German | wāgen | — |
| 3 | Middle High German | wāge | wave; scale |
| 4 | Middle Low German | wāge | wave |
| 5 | Old Saxon | wag | wave |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | wāg | wave |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | wēgaz | wave; sea |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | weǵʰ- | to bring; to transport |
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 |