Where does “Wortspiel” come from?

Wortspiel (German) comes from German wôrt, from Middle High German wort, from Old High German wort, from Proto-West Germanic word, from Proto-Germanic wurdą, from Proto-Indo-European werdʰo-, from Proto-Indo-European werh₁- — to speak, say.

Wortspiel (German): pun, wordplay

Definitions

  1. pun, wordplay

Ancestry of “Wortspiel”, step by step

Wortspiel traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German wôrt

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanwôrtplural word as an isolated unit
2Middle High Germanwortword; verb
3Old High Germanwortword; verb
4Proto-West Germanicwordword
5Proto-Germanicwurdąword
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwerdʰo-word
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwerh₁-to speak, say

via German spiel

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanspiela game instance or way of playing
2Middle High Germanspil—
3Old High Germanspil—
4Proto-West Germanicspildance; game, exercise

Words derived from “Wortspiel”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European werh₁- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European werdʰo- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wurdą →