Where does “Mördergrube” come from?
Mördergrube (German) comes from German Grube, from Middle High German gruobe, from Middle High German gruoba, from Proto-Germanic grōbō, from Proto-Germanic grabaną, from Proto-Indo-European gʰrābʰ- — to dig, scratch, scrape.
Mördergrube (German): "pit of murderers"; den of thieves
Definitions
- "pit of murderers"; den of thieves
Ancestry of “Mördergrube”, step by step
Mördergrube traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German Grube
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Grube | pit; mine |
| 2 | Middle High German | gruobe | — |
| 3 | Middle High German | gruoba | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | grōbō | hole, ditch, pit |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | grabaną | to dig; to engrave, scratch |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰrābʰ- | to dig, scratch, scrape |
via German Mörder
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Mörder | murderer, assassin, assassinator, cutthroat,... |
| 2 | Middle High German | morder | — |
| 3 | Old High German | murdiro | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | murþrijô | murderer; homicide |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | mrtro- | murder, death; killing |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mer- | to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland |