Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Luftschloss” come from?

Luftschloss (German) comes from German luft, from Middle High German luft, from Old High German luft, from Proto-West Germanic luftu, from Proto-Germanic luftuz, from Proto-Indo-European lewp-, from Proto-Indo-European lew- — dirt, mud; to cut, remove, prune, separate; to...

Luftschloss (German): castle in the air, castle in the sky, pipe dream

Definitions

  1. castle in the air, castle in the sky, pipe dream

Ancestry of “Luftschloss”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanluft—
2Middle High Germanluft—
3Old High Germanluftair
4Proto-West Germaniclufturoof; air
5Proto-Germanicluftuzroof; roof of the earth, firmament; heavens, sky;...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanlewp-peel, break off; to flake off, peel, damage; to...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanlew-dirt, mud; to cut, remove, prune, separate; to...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lew- →