Where does “Rätsel” come from?
Rätsel (German) comes from Middle High German ratsal, from Old High German rātisli, from Proto-West Germanic rādislī, from Proto-West Germanic rādan, from Proto-Germanic rēdaną, from Proto-Indo-European Hreh₁dʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂reh₁-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- — to fit, to fix, to put together.
Rätsel (German): riddle, puzzle, mystery, enigma
Definitions
- riddle, puzzle, mystery, enigma
Ancestry of “Rätsel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | ratsal | — |
| 2 | Old High German | rātisli | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | rādislī | advice, consultation; supposition, guess,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | rādan | to advise, counsel, help; to devise, decide,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | rēdaną | to decide, advise |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | Hreh₁dʰ- | to think; to arrange; to succeed, accomplish |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂reh₁- | to think, reason; to arrange |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |