Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Wahrheit” come from?

Wahrheit (German) comes from Middle High German wārheit, from Old High German wārheit, from Proto-West Germanic wārahaidu, from Proto-West Germanic wār, from Proto-Germanic wēraz, from Proto-Indo-European wiHrós, from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- — to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute.

Wahrheit (German): truth

Definitions

  1. truth

Ancestry of “Wahrheit”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanwārheit—
2Old High Germanwārheit—
3Proto-West Germanicwārahaidutruth, verity, veracity
4Proto-West Germanicwārtrue, reliable
5Proto-Germanicwēraztrue; reliable; friendly; kind
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanwiHrósman; husband; warrior, hero
7Proto-Indo-Europeanweyh₁-to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute

Words derived from “Wahrheit”

  • Wahrheitsfindung
  • Unwahrheit
  • bewahrheiten
  • Halbwahrheit
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- →