Where does “Wanderarbeiter” come from?

Wanderarbeiter (German) comes from German wandern, from Middle High German wandern, from Old High German wantaron, from Proto-West Germanic *wandarōn — to waver, change, fluctuate.

Wanderarbeiter (German): migrant worker

Definitions

  1. migrant worker

Ancestry of “Wanderarbeiter”, step by step

Wanderarbeiter traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German wandern

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanwandernto hike; to wander, to migrate, to move...
2Middle High Germanwandern—
3Old High Germanwantaronwantarōn
4Proto-West Germanic*wandarōnto waver, change, fluctuate

via German arbeiter

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanarbeiterworker male or of unspecified gender
2Middle High Germanarbeiterday laborer; craftsman
Every word from Proto-West Germanic *wandarōn →Every word from Old High German wantaron →Every word from Middle High German wandern →