Where does “besitzlos” come from?
besitzlos (German) comes from German besitz, from Middle High German besitz, from Middle High German besitzen, from Old High German bisizzen, from Proto-West Germanic *bisittjan, from Proto-Germanic bisitjaną, from Proto-Germanic bi-, from Proto-Germanic bi — on, onto.
besitzlos (German): poor
Ancestry of “besitzlos”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | besitz | singular imperative of besitzen |
| 2 | Middle High German | besitz | seat, place |
| 3 | Middle High German | besitzen | to sit; to beseige |
| 4 | Old High German | bisizzen | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *bisittjan | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | bisitjaną | to sit among, sit near |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | bi- | by, at |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | bi | by, at; near, around |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂m̥bʰi | around, on either side of, about; in exchange... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂n̥tbʰi | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |