Where does “Mauerfall” come from?
Mauerfall (German) comes from German fäll, from Middle High German val, from Old High German val, from Proto-West Germanic fall, from Proto-Germanic fallaz, from German Falz, from Latin falx, from Proto-Indo-European dʰelg- — a cutting tool; to stick; needle, pin.
Mauerfall (German): fall of the Berlin Wall
Definitions
- fall of the Berlin Wall
Ancestry of “Mauerfall”, step by step
Mauerfall traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German fäll
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | fäll | singular imperative of fällen; first-person... |
| 2 | Middle High German | val | fall; case |
| 3 | Old High German | val | fall |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | fall | a fall; death, destruction, downfall |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fallaz | a fall; death, destruction, downfall |
| 6 | German | Falz | fold; rabbet, rebate; seam |
| 7 | Latin | falx | sickle, scythe; a hook used to pull down walls |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰelg- | a cutting tool; to stick; needle, pin |
via German Mauer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Mauer | a wall, usually one made of stone or concrete |
| 2 | Middle High German | mūre | wall |
| 3 | Old High German | mūra | wall |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *mūrā | wall |
| 5 | Latin | mūrus | wall, city wall(s), (usually of a city, as opposed to pariēs) |
| 6 | Old Latin | moerus | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mēy- | soft, tender, dear |