Where does “Zierbuchstabe” come from?

Zierbuchstabe (German) comes from German zieren, from Middle High German zieren, from Old High German ziarōn, from Proto-West Germanic tiari-, from Proto-Germanic diH-or-i-.

Zierbuchstabe (German): ornamental letter, swash letter

Definitions

  1. ornamental letter, swash letter

Ancestry of “Zierbuchstabe”, step by step

Zierbuchstabe traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German zieren

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanzierento decorate; to make a fuss
2Middle High Germanzieren—
3Old High Germanziarōn—
4Proto-West Germanictiari-neat, splendid
5Proto-GermanicdiH-or-i-—

via German Buchstabe

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanBuchstabeletter
2Middle High Germanbuochstabe—
3Old High Germanbuohstaboletter, writing
Every word from Proto-Germanic diH-or-i- →Every word from Proto-West Germanic tiari- →Every word from Old High German ziarōn →