Where does “Zaunkönig” come from?
Zaunkönig (German) comes from German Zaun, from Middle High German zūn, from Old High German zūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną, from Gaulish dunum, from Proto-Celtic dūnom, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- — smoke; mist, haze.
Zaunkönig (German): wren
Definitions
- wren
Ancestry of “Zaunkönig”, step by step
Zaunkönig traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German Zaun
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Zaun | fence |
| 2 | Middle High German | zūn | — |
| 3 | Old High German | zūn | fence |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 6 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |
via German könig
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | könig | king |
| 2 | Middle High German | künec | — |
| 3 | Old High German | kuning | king |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | kuning | king |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | kuningaz | king |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | kunją | kin, family, clan; omen, portent, miracle |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵn̥h₁yom | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵenh₁- | to produce, to beget, to give birth |