Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Weihnacht” come from?

Weihnacht (German) comes from Middle High German wīhenaht, from Middle High German naht, from Old High German naht, from Proto-West Germanic naht, from Proto-Germanic nahts, from Proto-Indo-European nókʷts, from Proto-Indo-European negʷ- — bare, naked.

Weihnacht (German): Alternative form of Weihnachten

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of Weihnachten

Ancestry of “Weihnacht”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanwīhenaht—
2Middle High Germannahtnight
3Old High Germannahtnight
4Proto-West Germanicnahtnight
5Proto-Germanicnahtsnight
6Proto-Indo-Europeannókʷtsnight
7Proto-Indo-Europeannegʷ-bare, naked
Every word from Proto-Indo-European negʷ- →