Where does “Zeitgeist” come from?

Zeitgeist (German) comes from German Zeit, from Middle High German zīt, from Old High German zīt, from Proto-Indo-European déh₂itis, from Proto-Indo-European deh₂y-, from Proto-Indo-European deh₂- — to share, divide.

Zeitgeist (German): spirit of the age; zeitgeist

Definitions

  1. spirit of the age; zeitgeist

Ancestry of “Zeitgeist”, step by step

Zeitgeist traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Zeit

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanZeittime; time of day; period, era
2Middle High Germanzīttime
3Old High Germanzīttime
4Proto-Indo-Europeandéh₂itisinterval, period of time
5Proto-Indo-Europeandeh₂y-to share, divide
6Proto-Indo-Europeandeh₂-to share, divide

via German Geist

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanGeistspirit; the Holy Spirit; Holy Ghost; essence
2Middle High Germangeist—
3Old High Germangeistspirit
4Proto-West Germanicgaistghost, spirit
5Proto-Germanicgaistazterror, fear; spirit, ghost; mind
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰeysd-anger, agitation

Words derived from “Zeitgeist”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European deh₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European deh₂y- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European déh₂itis →