Where does “Wildfang” come from?

Wildfang (German) comes from German wild, from Middle High German wilde, from Old High German wildi, from Proto-West Germanic wilþī, from Proto-Germanic wilþijaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂welh₁- — to rule; strong, powerful; hair; wool.

Wildfang (German): a rambunctious child; a tomboy

Definitions

  1. a rambunctious child; a tomboy

Ancestry of “Wildfang”, step by step

Wildfang traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German wild

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanwildwild; strange
2Middle High Germanwilde
3Old High Germanwildiwild
4Proto-West Germanicwilþīwild
5Proto-Germanicwilþijazwild
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂welh₁-to rule; strong, powerful; hair; wool

via German fang

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanfangsingular imperative of fangen
2Germanfangento catch; to catch; to capture; to improve in...
3Middle High Germanvāhento catch
4Old High Germanfāhan
5Proto-Germanicfanhanąto take, to seize; to capture, to catch
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₂ḱ-to join, to attach; agreement, settlement
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂welh₁-