Where does “Totenglocke” come from?
Totenglocke (German) comes from German töten, from Middle High German tœten, from Old High German tōden, from Proto-Germanic daudijaną, from Proto-Germanic -janą, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti, from Proto-Indo-European yé-, from Chichewa iye — he, she.
Totenglocke (German): death knell
Definitions
- death knell
Ancestry of “Totenglocke”, step by step
Totenglocke traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German töten
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | töten | to kill |
| 2 | Middle High German | tœten | to kill |
| 3 | Old High German | tōden | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | daudijaną | to make dead, kill |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -janą | Derives denominatives from nouns and factitives... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 8 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via German glocke
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | glocke | bell percussive instrument |
| 2 | Middle High German | glocke | — |
| 3 | Old High German | klocca | bell; clock |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *klokkā | bell |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | clocca | bell; travelers' cape, literally “a bell”, so... |
| 6 | Old Irish | cloc | bell; clock |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | klokkos | bell |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | klēg- | — |