Where does “Wahlgeschenk” come from?

Wahlgeschenk (German) comes from German Wahl, from Middle High German wale, from Old High German wala, from Proto-West Germanic walu, from Proto-Germanic waluz, from Proto-Indo-European wēl- — to see, perceive.

Wahlgeschenk (German): popular concession made by a governing party to curry favor, usually ahead of elections

Definitions

  1. popular concession made by a governing party to curry favor, usually ahead of elections

Ancestry of “Wahlgeschenk”, step by step

Wahlgeschenk traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Wahl

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanWahlchoice, selection; election; quality level
2Middle High Germanwale—
3Old High Germanwalachoice
4Proto-West Germanicwaluchoice, selection
5Proto-Germanicwaluzstaff, stick
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwēl-to see, perceive

via German Geschenk

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanGeschenkpresent, gift
2Middle High Germangeschenke—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wēl- →Every word from Proto-Germanic waluz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic walu →
Wahlgeschenk — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer