Where does “Totenreich” come from?
Totenreich (German) comes from German reich, from Middle High German rīche, from Old High German rīhhi, from Proto-West Germanic rīkī, from Proto-Germanic rīkijaz, from Proto-Germanic rīks, from Proto-Celtic rīxs, from Proto-Indo-European h₃rḗǵs — to straighten, to right oneself; right; just.
Totenreich (German): realm of the dead; netherworld
Definitions
- realm of the dead; netherworld
Ancestry of “Totenreich”, step by step
Totenreich traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German reich
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | reich | rich; singular imperative of reichen |
| 2 | Middle High German | rīche | rich |
| 3 | Old High German | rīhhi | rich, mighty; power, might, empire; realm |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | rīkī | mighty, powerful; rich; kingdom, realm |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | rīkijaz | kingly, royal, noble; mighty, powerful; rich |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | rīks | king, ruler |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | rīxs | king |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃rḗǵs | king, ruler |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃reǵ- | to straighten, to right oneself; right; just |
via German Tote
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Tote | cadaver; corpse; strong nominative plural of... |