Where does “Stillleben” come from?
Stillleben (German) comes from Dutch stilleven, from Dutch leven, from Middle Dutch lēven, from Old Dutch libben, from Proto-West Germanic libbjan, from Proto-Germanic libjaną, from Proto-Indo-European leyp-, from Proto-Indo-European lēy- — to leave, let; to want, desire; to let; leave...
Stillleben (German): still life
Definitions
- still life
Ancestry of “Stillleben”, step by step
Stillleben traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch stilleven
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | stilleven | still-life |
| 2 | Dutch | leven | to live; life |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | lēven | to live, to be alive |
| 4 | Old Dutch | libben | to live |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | libbjan | to live, to be alive |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | libjaną | to live, to be alive |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | leyp- | to stick; fat or sticky substance |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | lēy- | to leave, let; to want, desire; to let; leave... |
via German still
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | still | quiet, silent; quietly, silently |
| 2 | Middle High German | stille | — |
| 3 | Old High German | stillī | stillness |
| 4 | Old High German | -ī | -ness |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -ī | -ness, -th |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -į̄ | -th |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -íh₂ | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -h₂ | Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups... |