Where does “Spitzmaus” come from?

Spitzmaus (German) comes from German maus, from Middle High German mūs, from Old High German mūs, from Proto-West Germanic mūs, from Proto-Germanic mūs, from Proto-Indo-European múh₂s — mouse.

Spitzmaus (German): shrew

Definitions

  1. shrew

Ancestry of “Spitzmaus”, step by step

Spitzmaus traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German maus

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanmausmouse (animal)
2Middle High Germanmūsmouse
3Old High Germanmūsmouse
4Proto-West Germanicmūsmouse
5Proto-Germanicmūsmouse
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmúh₂smouse

via German spitz

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanspitzpointed, pointy; sharp; spiky
2Old High Germanspizzi—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European múh₂s →Every word from Proto-Germanic mūs →Every word from Proto-West Germanic mūs →
Spitzmaus — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer