Where does “Weihnachtszeit” come from?
Weihnachtszeit (German) comes from German Zeit, from Middle High German zīt, from Old High German zīt, from Proto-Indo-European déh₂itis, from Proto-Indo-European deh₂y-, from Proto-Indo-European deh₂- — to share, divide.
Weihnachtszeit (German): Christmas season, Christmastime, Yuletide
Definitions
- Christmas season, Christmastime, Yuletide
Ancestry of “Weihnachtszeit”, step by step
Weihnachtszeit traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German Zeit
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Zeit | time; time of day; period, era |
| 2 | Middle High German | zīt | time |
| 3 | Old High German | zīt | time |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | déh₂itis | interval, period of time |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₂y- | to share, divide |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₂- | to share, divide |
via German weihnachten
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | weihnachten | To be nearly Christmas; to have a Christmassy... |
| 2 | Middle High German | wīhenahten | Christmas |
| 3 | Middle High German | ze den wīhen nahten | in the holy nights |