Where does “Weihnachtsstern” come from?
Weihnachtsstern (German) comes from German Weihnacht, 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.
Weihnachtsstern (German): Christmas star, Star of Bethlehem
Definitions
- Christmas star, Star of Bethlehem
Ancestry of “Weihnachtsstern”, step by step
Weihnachtsstern traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German Weihnacht
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Weihnacht | Alternative form of Weihnachten |
| 2 | Middle High German | wīhenaht | Christmas |
| 3 | Middle High German | naht | night |
| 4 | Old High German | naht | night |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | naht | night |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | nahts | night |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | nókʷts | night |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | negʷ- | bare, naked |
via German stern
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | stern | a star; a small luminous dot that can be seen on the night sky |
| 2 | Middle High German | stërne | star |
| 3 | Old High German | sterno | star |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | sternō | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | sternô | star |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂stḗr | star |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eHs- | to be/become dry; to burn, to glow; hearth |