Where does “Nelkenwurz” come from?

Nelkenwurz (German) comes from German Nelke, from Middle Low German nēgelke, from Old Saxon nagal, from Proto-West Germanic nagl, from Proto-Germanic naglaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₃nogʰ- — claw, nail; nail.

Nelkenwurz (German): avens

Definitions

  1. avens

Ancestry of “Nelkenwurz”, step by step

Nelkenwurz traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Nelke

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanNelkeclove; carnation, pink
2Middle Low Germannēgelke—
3Old Saxonnagalnail
4Proto-West Germanicnaglnail; nail or peg used for fastening
5Proto-Germanicnaglaznail; nail or peg used for fastening
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃nogʰ-claw, nail; nail

via German wurz

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanwurzroot
2Middle High Germanwurzwort, herb, root
3Old High Germanwurzherb, root, spice
4Proto-Germanicwrōtsroot
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwréh₂dsroot
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃nogʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic naglaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic nagl →