Where does “Wehrmacht” come from?
Wehrmacht (German) comes from German macht, from Middle High German maht, from Old High German maht, from Proto-West Germanic mahti, from Proto-Germanic mahtiz, from Proto-Germanic mahtuz, from Proto-Indo-European mógʰtis, from Proto-Indo-European meǵʰ- — to be able.
Wehrmacht (German): armed forces; Wehrmacht
Definitions
- armed forces; Wehrmacht
Ancestry of “Wehrmacht”, step by step
Wehrmacht traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German macht
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | macht | third-person singular present of machen;... |
| 2 | Middle High German | maht | — |
| 3 | Old High German | maht | might |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | mahti | might, power |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | mahtiz | power, ability; strength, force |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | mahtuz | might, power |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mógʰtis | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | meǵʰ- | to be able |
via German wehren
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | wehren | to fight; to defend |
| 2 | Middle High German | wëren | — |
| 3 | Old High German | werien | to defend, protect |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | waʀjan | to clothe |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | warjaną | to ward off, to defend against; to thwart, to... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wēr- | true |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |