Where does “Spielfigur” come from?

Spielfigur (German) comes from German Figur, from Latin figūra, from Latin fingō, from Proto-Indo-European dʰeyǵʰ- — to knead; to form, to shape.

Spielfigur (German): man (piece in board games)

Definitions

  1. man (piece in board games)

Ancestry of “Spielfigur”, step by step

Spielfigur traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Figur

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanFigurfigure, figurine; character; piece
2Latinfigūrashape, form, figure
3Latinfingōto shape, fashion, form, knead (dough)
4Proto-Indo-Europeandʰeyǵʰ-to knead; to form, to shape

via German spiel

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanspiela game instance or way of playing
2Middle High Germanspil—
3Old High Germanspil—
4Proto-West Germanicspildance; game, exercise
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰeyǵʰ- →Every word from Latin fingō →Every word from Latin figūra →