Where does “Kriminalfall” come from?

Kriminalfall (German) comes from German fäll, from Middle High German val, from Old High German val, from Proto-West Germanic fall, from Proto-Germanic fallaz, from German Falz, from Latin falx, from Proto-Indo-European dʰelg- — a cutting tool; to stick; needle, pin.

Kriminalfall (German): criminal case

Definitions

  1. criminal case

Ancestry of “Kriminalfall”, step by step

Kriminalfall traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German fäll

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanfällsingular imperative of fällen; first-person...
2Middle High Germanvalfall; case
3Old High Germanvalfall
4Proto-West Germanicfalla fall; death, destruction, downfall
5Proto-Germanicfallaza fall; death, destruction, downfall
6GermanFalzfold; rabbet, rebate; seam
7Latinfalxsickle, scythe; a hook used to pull down walls
8Proto-Indo-Europeandʰelg-a cutting tool; to stick; needle, pin

via German Kriminal

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanKriminalcriminal
2Latincrīmināliscriminal
3Latincrīmena judicial decision, verdict, or judgment
4Proto-Italickreimen
5Proto-Indo-Europeankréymn̥
6Proto-Indo-Europeankrey-to sift, separate, divide
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰelg-Every word from Latin falxEvery word from German Falz