Where does “Ostmauer” come from?
Ostmauer (German) comes from German Mauer, from Middle High German mūre, from Old High German mūra, from Proto-West Germanic *mūrā, from Latin mūrus, from Old Latin moerus, from Proto-Indo-European mēy- — soft, tender, dear.
Ostmauer (German): east wall
Definitions
- east wall
Ancestry of “Ostmauer”, step by step
Ostmauer traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German Mauer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Mauer | a wall, usually one made of stone or concrete |
| 2 | Middle High German | mūre | wall |
| 3 | Old High German | mūra | wall |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *mūrā | wall |
| 5 | Latin | mūrus | wall, city wall(s), (usually of a city, as opposed to pariēs) |
| 6 | Old Latin | moerus | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mēy- | soft, tender, dear |
via German Osten
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Osten | East; The territory of the former GDR |
| 2 | Old High German | ostan | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | austrą | east; east, eastward |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | austraz | east, eastern |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | *h₂éwsteros | in the direction of dawn, east |