Where does “Zerrbild” come from?

Zerrbild (German) comes from German Bild, from Middle High German bilde, from Old High German bilidi, from Proto-West Germanic *biliþi — likeness, image.

Zerrbild (German): distorted picture; travesty, caricature

Definitions

  1. distorted picture; travesty, caricature

Ancestry of “Zerrbild”, step by step

Zerrbild traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Bild

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanBildimage; picture; painting; photo; image
2Middle High Germanbildepicture, example, comparison; image, shape
3Old High Germanbilidiimage, figure, reflection, replica
4Proto-West Germanic*biliþilikeness, image

via German zerren

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanzerrento tug; to drag
2Middle High Germanzerren—
3Old High Germanzerren—
4Proto-Germanictarjanąto destroy
Every word from Proto-West Germanic *biliþi →
Zerrbild — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer