Where does “Vergissmeinnicht” come from?
Vergissmeinnicht (German) comes from German nicht, from Middle High German niwiht, from Old High German niowiht, from Old High German nio, from Old High German io, from Proto-West Germanic aiw, from Proto-Germanic aiwaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eyu- — vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning.
Vergissmeinnicht (German): forget-me-not
Definitions
- forget-me-not
Ancestry of “Vergissmeinnicht”, step by step
Vergissmeinnicht traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German nicht
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | nicht | not, non-; right?; is it?; is it not? |
| 2 | Middle High German | niwiht | — |
| 3 | Old High German | niowiht | — |
| 4 | Old High German | nio | never |
| 5 | Old High German | io | always |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | aiw | long time, age, eternity; law |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | aiwaz | long time, age, eternity |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eyu- | vitality; eternal; vital force, life, long life,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ey- | vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning |