Where does “esel” come from?
esel (German) comes from Middle High German esel, from Old High German esil, from Proto-West Germanic asil, from Latin asellus, from Latin asinus, from Latin acinus, from Latin acies, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eḱ- — sharp.
Ancestry of “esel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | esel | — |
| 2 | Old High German | esil | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | asil | donkey |
| 4 | Latin | asellus | Small or young ass or donkey |
| 5 | Latin | asinus | a donkey, an ass; an ass, an idiot, a dolt, a... |
| 6 | Latin | acinus | a berry, especially the grape; the seed of a... |
| 7 | Latin | acies | sharp edge or point; battle line; battle,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eḱ- | sharp |