Where does “Wolfsgrube” come from?

Wolfsgrube (German) comes from German Wolf, from Middle High German wolf, from Old High German wolf, from Proto-West Germanic wulf, from Proto-Germanic wulfaz, from Proto-Indo-European wĺ̥kʷos — wolf.

Wolfsgrube (German): wolf pit, a deep, covered pit for trapping wolves

Definitions

  1. wolf pit, a deep, covered pit for trapping wolves

Ancestry of “Wolfsgrube”, step by step

Wolfsgrube traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Wolf

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanWolfwolf; the constellation Lupus; shredder, mincer
2Middle High Germanwolfwolf
3Old High Germanwolfwolf
4Proto-West Germanicwulfwolf
5Proto-Germanicwulfazwolf
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwĺ̥kʷoswolf

via German Grube

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanGrubepit; mine
2Middle High Germangruobe—
3Middle High Germangruoba—
4Proto-Germanicgrōbōhole, ditch, pit
5Proto-Germanicgrabanąto dig; to engrave, scratch
6Proto-Indo-Europeangʰrābʰ-to dig, scratch, scrape
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wĺ̥kʷos →Every word from Proto-Germanic wulfaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic wulf →