Where does “Zwischenspiel” come from?

Zwischenspiel (German) comes from German zwischen, from Old High German [[in]] [[zuiskēn]], from Old High German zuiski, from Old High German zwēne, from Proto-West Germanic twai-, from Proto-Germanic twai, from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁ — two.

Zwischenspiel (German): interlude; intermezzo

Definitions

  1. interlude; intermezzo

Ancestry of “Zwischenspiel”, step by step

Zwischenspiel traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German zwischen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanzwischenbetween; among, amongst
2Old High German[[in]] [[zuiskēn]]—
3Old High Germanzuiskitwofold
4Old High Germanzwēnetwo
5Proto-West Germanictwai-two
6Proto-Germanictwaitwo
7Proto-Indo-Europeandwóh₁two

via German spiel

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanspiela game instance or way of playing
2Middle High Germanspil—
3Old High Germanspil—
4Proto-West Germanicspildance; game, exercise
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁ →Every word from Proto-Germanic twai →Every word from Proto-West Germanic twai- →