Where does “kampf” come from?
kampf (German) comes from Middle High German kampf, from Old High German kampf, from Proto-West Germanic kamp, from Latin campus, from Proto-Indo-European kh₂emp-, from Proto-Indo-European kh₂em- — to bend, to curve.
Ancestry of “kampf”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | kampf | — |
| 2 | Old High German | kampf | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | kamp | field; battle |
| 4 | Latin | campus | Open flat level ground: a plain, a natural field;... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂emp- | to bend; crooked; to bend, curve |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂em- | to bend, to curve |