Where does “Pretzel” come from?
Pretzel (German) comes from German Brezel, from Middle High German brēzel, from Old High German breztella, from Latin bracchiatus, from Latin bracchium, from Ancient Greek βραχίων, from Ancient Greek βραχύς, from Proto-Indo-European mréǵʰus — short.
Ancestry of “Pretzel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Brezel | pretzel |
| 2 | Middle High German | brēzel | — |
| 3 | Old High German | breztella | — |
| 4 | Latin | bracchiatus | have branches like arms |
| 5 | Latin | bracchium | forearm; arm; limb of an animal |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | βραχίων | the arm, the shoulder; comparative degree of... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | βραχύς | short, brief; short, small, little; few |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mréǵʰus | short; brief |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | mreǵʰ- | short |