Where does “Westafrika” come from?
Westafrika (German) comes from German Westen, from German West, from Middle High German west, from Old High German west, from Proto-Germanic westrą, from Proto-Germanic westraz, from Proto-Indo-European wek(ʷ)speros, from Proto-Indo-European we-.
Ancestry of “Westafrika”, step by step
Westafrika traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German Westen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Westen | west; The area of Western Germany, i.e. those... |
| 2 | German | West | the west; a wind coming from the west |
| 3 | Middle High German | west | west |
| 4 | Old High German | west | westward |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | westrą | west; west, westward |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | westraz | west, western |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wek(ʷ)speros | evening |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | we- | — |
via German Afrika
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Afrika | Africa |