Where does “Wühlmaus” come from?
Wühlmaus (German) comes from German wühlen, from Middle High German wüelen, from Old High German wuolen, from Proto-West Germanic wōlijan, from Proto-West Germanic wōl, from Proto-Germanic wōlaz, from Proto-Germanic wōliz, from Proto-Germanic wal(j)aną — to hit, to strike.
Wühlmaus (German): vole
Definitions
- vole
Ancestry of “Wühlmaus”, step by step
Wühlmaus traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German wühlen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | wühlen | to rummage, to grub; to dig, to burrow, to... |
| 2 | Middle High German | wüelen | — |
| 3 | Old High German | wuolen | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | wōlijan | to toss, to turn; to ruin, to destroy |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | wōl | disaster, ruin |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | wōlaz | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | wōliz | disastrous, ruined |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | wal(j)aną | to divistate, ruin |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | welh₃- | to hit, to strike |