Where does “Waldgeist” come from?

Waldgeist (German) comes from German wald, from Middle High German walt, from Old High German wald, from Proto-West Germanic walþu, from Proto-Germanic walþuz, from Proto-Indo-European wel- — to see.

Waldgeist (German): forest spirit

Definitions

  1. forest spirit

Ancestry of “Waldgeist”, step by step

Waldgeist traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German wald

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanwaldforest; woods; woodland
2Middle High Germanwalt—
3Old High Germanwaldforest
4Proto-West Germanicwalþuforest
5Proto-Germanicwalþuzforest
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwel-to see

via German geist

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germangeistspirit
2Middle High Germangeist—
3Old High Germangeistspirit
4Proto-West Germanicgaistghost, spirit
5Proto-Germanicgaistazterror, fear; spirit, ghost; mind
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰeysd-anger, agitation
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wel- →Every word from Proto-Germanic walþuz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic walþu →