Where does “blitzen” come from?
blitzen (German) comes from German blickzen, from Middle High German bleczen, from Old High German blechazan, from Proto-West Germanic blikkattjan, from Proto-West Germanic blīkan, from Proto-Germanic blīkaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.
blitzen (German): to lighten; to flash; to sparkle
Definitions
- to lighten; to flash; to sparkle
Ancestry of “blitzen”, step by step
blitzen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German blickzen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | blickzen | — |
| 2 | Middle High German | bleczen | — |
| 3 | Old High German | blechazan | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | blikkattjan | to flash, to glitter |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | blīkan | to shine |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | blīkaną | to gleam; shine |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |