Where does “Weltgeist” come from?
Weltgeist (German) comes from German welt, from Middle High German werlt, from Old High German weralt, from Proto-West Germanic weraldi, from Proto-Germanic weraldiz, from Proto-Germanic weraz, from Proto-Indo-European wiHrós, from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- — to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute.
Weltgeist (German): world spirit
Definitions
- world spirit
Ancestry of “Weltgeist”, step by step
Weltgeist traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German welt
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | welt | world |
| 2 | Middle High German | werlt | world |
| 3 | Old High German | weralt | world |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | weraldi | world |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | weraldiz | lifetime, worldly existence; mankind; world |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | weraz | man; husband |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wiHrós | man; husband; warrior, hero |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | weyh₁- | to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute |