Where does “irgendwie” come from?
irgendwie (German) comes from German irgend, from Old High German io, from Proto-West Germanic aiw, from Proto-Germanic aiwaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eyu-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ey- — vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning.
irgendwie (German): somehow
Definitions
- somehow
Ancestry of “irgendwie”, step by step
irgendwie traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German irgend
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | irgend | at all; any, some |
| 2 | Old High German | io | always |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | aiw | long time, age, eternity; law |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | aiwaz | long time, age, eternity |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eyu- | vitality; eternal; vital force, life, long life,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ey- | vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning |
via German wie
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | wie | how; like; as |
| 2 | Middle High German | wie | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | hwē | how, with what, by what means; instrumental of... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hwī | how, with what, by what means; instrumental of... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷey | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷis | interrogative, relative stem; who, what;... |