Where does “Krankenwagen” come from?
Krankenwagen (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.
Krankenwagen (German): ambulance; ambulance car; ambulance van
Definitions
- ambulance; ambulance car; ambulance van
Ancestry of “Krankenwagen”, step by step
Krankenwagen 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 kranker
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | kranker | sick person, sufferer (from a disease), patient, invalid male or of unspecified gender |
| 2 | German | krank | ill, sick; sick, morally or mentally degenerate;... |
| 3 | Middle High German | krank | — |
| 4 | Old High German | krank | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | krank | weak, sick |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | krankaz | bent; crooked; weak |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ger- | to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind... |