Where does “Leitmotiv” come from?
Leitmotiv (German) comes from German leiten, from Middle High German leiten, from Old High German leiten, from Proto-West Germanic laidijan, from Proto-Germanic laidijaną, from Proto-Germanic līþaną, from Proto-Indo-European leyt-, from Proto-Indo-European lēy- — to leave, let; to want, desire; to let; leave...
Leitmotiv (German): leitmotif
Definitions
- leitmotif
Ancestry of “Leitmotiv”, step by step
Leitmotiv traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German leiten
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | leiten | to lead; to manage; to conduct |
| 2 | Middle High German | leiten | — |
| 3 | Old High German | leiten | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | laidijan | to lead |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | laidijaną | to cause to go, to lead |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | līþaną | to go; pass; to go through |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | leyt- | to scratch; to leave, die; to go, go forth, die |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | lēy- | to leave, let; to want, desire; to let; leave... |
via German Motiv
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Motiv | motive; motif |
| 2 | French | motif | motive; motif; pattern, design |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | motivum | nominative neuter singular of mōtīvus; accusative... |
| 4 | Latin | mōtivus | stirred |
| 5 | Latin | mōtus | moved, stirred, disturbed, having been moved |
| 6 | Latin | -tus | Forms the past participle of verbs; Forms... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -tus | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tus | Derives action nouns from verb roots |