Where does “Weihnachtstag” come from?
Weihnachtstag (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.
Weihnachtstag (German): one of the Twelve Days of Christmas
Definitions
- one of the Twelve Days of Christmas
Ancestry of “Weihnachtstag”, step by step
Weihnachtstag 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 tag
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | tag | singular imperative of tagen |
| 2 | German | guten Tag | hello, good day, good afternoon |
| 3 | Alemannic German | Tag | day |
| 4 | Middle High German | tac | Alternative form of tag |
| 5 | Old High German | tag | day |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | dag | day |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | dagaz | day; name of the D-rune |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰegʷʰ- | to burn; warm, hot |