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
Ancestry of “Leerzeichen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | leer | empty; singular imperative of leeren;... |
| 2 | Middle High German | lēr | — |
| 3 | Old High German | lāri | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | lēziz | empty |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | les- | to gather, to collect |