Where does “Schwanengesang” come from?

Schwanengesang (German) comes from German Schwan, from Middle High German swan, from Old High German swan, from Proto-West Germanic swan, from Proto-Germanic swanaz, from Proto-Indo-European swenh₂- — to sound.

Schwanengesang (German): swan song

Definitions

  1. swan song

Ancestry of “Schwanengesang”, step by step

Schwanengesang traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Schwan

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanSchwanswan; the constellation Cygnus
2Middle High Germanswan—
3Old High Germanswan—
4Proto-West Germanicswanswan
5Proto-Germanicswanazswan
6Proto-Indo-Europeanswenh₂-to sound

via German Gesang

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanGesangsinging, vocals; section of an epic poem; canto
2Middle High Germangesanc—

Words derived from “Schwanengesang”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European swenh₂- →Every word from Proto-Germanic swanaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic swan →