Where does “geisel” come from?
geisel (German) comes from Middle High German gīsel, from Old High German gīsal, from Proto-West Germanic gīsl, from Proto-Germanic gīslaz, from Proto-Germanic berhtaz, from Proto-Germanic hrabnaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱorh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European ḱer- — army.
Ancestry of “geisel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | gīsel | — |
| 2 | Old High German | gīsal | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | gīsl | hostage |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | gīslaz | hostage |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | berhtaz | bright, shining |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hrabnaz | raven |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱorh₂- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |