Where does “allgemein” come from?
allgemein (German) comes from German All, from Middle High German āl, from Old High German āl, from Proto-West Germanic all, from Proto-Germanic allaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂él- — to grow, nourish.
allgemein (German): general (common, basic, usual), universal
Definitions
- general (common, basic, usual), universal
Ancestry of “allgemein”, step by step
allgemein traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German All
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | All | cosmos |
| 2 | Middle High German | āl | — |
| 3 | Old High German | āl | all |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | all | all |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | allaz | all |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂él- | to grow, nourish |
via German gemein
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | gemein | mean, base, nasty, cruel, wicked, vile, vicious,... |
| 2 | Middle High German | gemein | — |
| 3 | Old High German | gimeinī | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | gamainī | common; shared, communal |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | gamainiz | shared, communal, public; common, ordinary |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱom-moynis | — |