Where does “Schilderwald” come from?

Schilderwald (German) comes from German wald, from Middle High German walt, from Old High German wald, from Proto-West Germanic walþu, from Proto-Germanic walþuz, from Proto-Indo-European wel- — to see.

Schilderwald (German): "forest of signs" i.e. place with excessive signage

Definitions

  1. "forest of signs" i.e. place with excessive signage

Ancestry of “Schilderwald”, step by step

Schilderwald traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German wald

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanwaldforest; woods; woodland
2Middle High Germanwalt—
3Old High Germanwaldforest
4Proto-West Germanicwalþuforest
5Proto-Germanicwalþuzforest
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwel-to see

via German schild

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanschildsign, plate flat surface bearing information
2Middle High Germanschilt—
3Old High Germanscilt—
4Proto-West Germanicskeldushield
5Proto-Germanicskelduzshield
6Proto-Indo-European(s)keit-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wel- →Every word from Proto-Germanic walþuz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic walþu →