Where does “Schwammtuch” come from?

Schwammtuch (German) comes from German Schwamm, from Middle High German swamme, from Old High German swamp, from Old English swamm, from Proto-Germanic *swammaz, from Proto-Indo-European swombh- — sponge, tree-fungus, swamp.

Schwammtuch (German): sponge cloth

Definitions

  1. sponge cloth

Ancestry of “Schwammtuch”, step by step

Schwammtuch traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Schwamm

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanSchwammsponge; fungus, mushroom, toadstool; morbid...
2Middle High Germanswamme—
3Old High Germanswamp—
4Old Englishswammmushroom, fungus; sponge; first/third-person...
5Proto-Germanic*swammaz—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanswombh-sponge, tree-fungus, swamp

via German tǖch

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germantǖchcloth; piece of fabric or tissue of any kind: scarf, kerchief, blanket, towel, etc
2Middle High Germantuoch—
3Old High Germantuoh—
4Proto-West Germanicdōkcloth, rag
5Proto-Germanicdōkazcloth, rag
6Proto-Indo-Europeandwōg-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swombh- →