Where does “Messerwerfer” come from?
Messerwerfer (German) comes from German messer, from German messen, from Middle High German mëȥȥen, from Old High German mëȥȥen, from Proto-Germanic *metan, from Proto-Germanic metaną, from Proto-Indo-European mēd-, from Proto-Indo-European med- — to measure; to give advice; healing.
Messerwerfer (German): knife thrower
Definitions
- knife thrower
Ancestry of “Messerwerfer”, step by step
Messerwerfer traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German messer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | messer | knife |
| 2 | German | messen | to measure; to compete; to measure; to be a given... |
| 3 | Middle High German | mëȥȥen | — |
| 4 | Old High German | mëȥȥen | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *metan | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | metaną | to measure |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mēd- | to measure |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | med- | to measure; to give advice; healing |
via German Werfer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Werfer | thrower |
| 2 | German | wërfen | to throw |
| 3 | Middle High German | wërfen | to throw |
| 4 | Old High German | werfan | to throw; to tear |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | werpaną | to throw; to cast |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | werb- | to throw, twist, bend; to turn, bend, twist; to... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |