Where does “Streichhölzlein” come from?
Streichhölzlein (German) comes from German Streichholz, from German streichen, from Middle High German strīchen, from Old High German strīhhan, from Frankish strīkan, from Proto-Germanic strīkaną, from Proto-Indo-European streyg-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ter- — strong, firm, stiff, rigid; rigid, stiff; to...
Ancestry of “Streichhölzlein”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Streichholz | match |
| 2 | German | streichen | to stroke; to cancel; to discard; to delete; to... |
| 3 | Middle High German | strīchen | — |
| 4 | Old High German | strīhhan | to smooth, stroke, spread, rub, strike |
| 5 | Frankish | strīkan | to move or pass one thing over another, strike;... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | strīkaną | to stroke, to rub |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | streyg- | to strike; to shear |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ter- | strong, firm, stiff, rigid; rigid, stiff; to... |