Where does “Notwehr” come from?

Notwehr (German) comes from German Wehr, from Middle High German were, from Old High German werī, from Proto-Germanic warīniz, from Proto-Germanic -īniz, from Proto-Germanic -niz, from Proto-Indo-European -nis.

Notwehr (German): self-defense

Definitions

  1. self-defense

Ancestry of “Notwehr”, step by step

Notwehr traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Wehr

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanWehrresistance; defence; also in the sense of...
2Middle High Germanwere
3Old High Germanwerī
4Proto-Germanicwarīnizwarding off, defense
5Proto-Germanic-īnizForms abstract nouns from weak class 1 verbs
6Proto-Germanic-nizForms abstract nouns from verbal roots and stems
7Proto-Indo-European-nis

via German nōt

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germannōtneed, imminence
2Middle High Germannōt
3Old High Germannōtcontrol (by violence), compulsion, coercion, extortion
4Proto-West Germanic*naudiforce, compulsion
5Proto-Germanicnaudizneed; trouble, distress; compulsion, force
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -nisEvery word from Proto-Germanic -īnizEvery word from Proto-Germanic warīniz