Where does “Springschwanz” come from?

Springschwanz (German) comes from German springen, from Old High German springan, from Proto-Germanic springaną, from Proto-Indo-European spr̥ǵʰ.

Springschwanz (German): springtail

Definitions

  1. springtail

Ancestry of “Springschwanz”, step by step

Springschwanz traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German springen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanspringento spring; to leap; to bounce; to dive; to jump;...
2Old High Germanspringan—
3Proto-Germanicspringanąto spring, to jump up; to burst, to explode
4Proto-Indo-Europeanspr̥ǵʰ—

via German schwanz

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanschwanztail
2Middle High Germanswanztail
3Middle High Germanswanzento swing
4Middle High Germanswanken—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European spr̥ǵʰ →