Where does “Wintermärchen” come from?

Wintermärchen (German) comes from German Märchen, from German Mär, from Middle High German mære, from Old High German māri, from Proto-Germanic mērijaz, from Proto-Indo-European mēros — large, handsome.

Wintermärchen (German): winter fairy tale

Definitions

  1. winter fairy tale

Ancestry of “Wintermärchen”, step by step

Wintermärchen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Märchen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanMärchenfairy tale
2GermanMäran often repeated untruth, a fable, a false...
3Middle High Germanmærefamous
4Old High Germanmārifamous, great; well known, famous; news, tale
5Proto-Germanicmērijazrenowned, famous, great
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmēroslarge, handsome

via German Winter

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanWinterwinter
2Middle High Germanwinterwinter
3Old High Germanwintarwinter
4Proto-West Germanicwintruwinter
5Proto-Germanicwintruzwinter
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mērosEvery word from Proto-Germanic mērijazEvery word from Old High German māri
Wintermärchen — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer