Where does “Nichtstun” come from?

Nichtstun (German) comes from German nichts, from Middle High German nihtes niht, from Old High German niowiht, from Old High German nio, from Old High German io, from Proto-West Germanic aiw, from Proto-Germanic aiwaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eyu- — vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning.

Nichtstun (German): idleness, faineance

Definitions

  1. idleness, faineance

Ancestry of “Nichtstun”, step by step

Nichtstun traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German nichts

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germannichtsnothing
2Middle High Germannihtes nihtnothing of nothing
3Old High Germanniowiht—
4Old High Germannionever
5Old High Germanioalways
6Proto-West Germanicaiwlong time, age, eternity; law
7Proto-Germanicaiwazlong time, age, eternity
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eyu-vitality; eternal; vital force, life, long life,...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ey-vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning

via German tūn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germantūn—
2Middle High Germantuonto do
3Old High Germantuonto do; to make
4Proto-West Germanicdōnto do; to put, to place
5Proto-Germanicdōnąto do, make; to put, place
6Proto-Indo-Europeandʰéh₁tto put, to place; to do
7Proto-Indo-Europeandʰeh₁-to do, put, place
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ey- →