Where does “Leerzeichen” come from?

Leerzeichen (German) comes from German leer, from Middle High German lēr, from Old High German lāri, from Proto-Germanic lēziz, from Proto-Indo-European les- — to gather, to collect.

Leerzeichen (German): space; white space

Definitions

  1. space; white space

Ancestry of “Leerzeichen”, step by step

Leerzeichen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German leer

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanleerempty; singular imperative of leeren;...
2Middle High Germanlēr—
3Old High Germanlāriempty
4Proto-Germaniclēzizempty
5Proto-Indo-Europeanles-to gather, to collect

via German zeichen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanzeichensign, token
2Old High Germanzeihhansign, symbol, feature; sign, symbol
3Proto-West Germanictaiknsign, token, symbol
4Proto-Germanictaiknąsign, token, symbol
5Proto-Indo-Europeandeyḱ-to point out
Every word from Proto-Indo-European les- →Every word from Proto-Germanic lēziz →Every word from Old High German lāri →