Where does “Maiglöckchen” come from?
Maiglöckchen (German) comes from German Glöckchen, from German glocke, from Middle High German glocke, from Old High German klocca, from Proto-West Germanic *klokkā, from Medieval Latin clocca, from Old Irish cloc, from Proto-Celtic klokkos.
Maiglöckchen (German): lily of the valley, Convallaria majalis
Definitions
- lily of the valley, Convallaria majalis
Ancestry of “Maiglöckchen”, step by step
Maiglöckchen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German Glöckchen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Glöckchen | Diminutive of Glocke; bell; little bell |
| 2 | German | glocke | bell percussive instrument |
| 3 | Middle High German | glocke | — |
| 4 | Old High German | klocca | bell; clock |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *klokkā | bell |
| 6 | Medieval Latin | clocca | bell; travelers' cape, literally “a bell”, so... |
| 7 | Old Irish | cloc | bell; clock |
| 8 | Proto-Celtic | klokkos | bell |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | klēg- | — |
via German mai
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | mai | May (month) |
| 2 | Middle High German | meie | May |
| 3 | Old High German | meio | May |
| 4 | Latin | Māius | “month”}} of May |
| 5 | Latin | Maia | nominative feminine singular of Maius; nominative... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | μαῖα | midwife; foster mother, nurse; good mother, dame |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | μήτηρ | mother; source or origin |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | mā́tēr | mother |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | méh₂tēr | mother |