Where does “Ohrwurm” come from?
Ohrwurm (German) comes from German Wurm, from Old High German wurm, from Proto-West Germanic wurmi, from Proto-Germanic wurmiz, from Proto-Indo-European wr̥mis, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.
Ohrwurm (German): earwig; earworm
Definitions
- earwig; earworm
Ancestry of “Ohrwurm”, step by step
Ohrwurm traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German Wurm
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Wurm | worm; maggot, grub; any crawling animal, e.g. a... |
| 2 | Old High German | wurm | snake |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | wurmi | worm; serpent, snake |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | wurmiz | worm; serpent, snake |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wr̥mis | worm |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |