Where does “Zweifelsfall” come from?
Zweifelsfall (German) comes from German fäll, from Middle High German val, from Old High German val, from Proto-West Germanic fall, from Proto-Germanic fallaz, from German Falz, from Latin falx, from Proto-Indo-European dʰelg- — a cutting tool; to stick; needle, pin.
Zweifelsfall (German): case of doubt
Definitions
- case of doubt
Ancestry of “Zweifelsfall”, step by step
Zweifelsfall traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German fäll
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | fäll | singular imperative of fällen; first-person... |
| 2 | Middle High German | val | fall; case |
| 3 | Old High German | val | fall |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | fall | a fall; death, destruction, downfall |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fallaz | a fall; death, destruction, downfall |
| 6 | German | Falz | fold; rabbet, rebate; seam |
| 7 | Latin | falx | sickle, scythe; a hook used to pull down walls |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰelg- | a cutting tool; to stick; needle, pin |