Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Schwarz” come from?

Schwarz (German) comes from Middle High German swarz, from Old High German swarz, from Proto-West Germanic swart, from Proto-Germanic swartaz, from Proto-Indo-European swordo- — dirty, dark, black.

Ancestry of “Schwarz”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanswarz—
2Old High Germanswarzblack
3Proto-West Germanicswartblack
4Proto-Germanicswartazblack
5Proto-Indo-Europeanswordo-dirty, dark, black

Words derived from “Schwarz”

  • šverc
  • шверц
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swordo- →