Where does “mottenzerfressen” come from?
mottenzerfressen (German) comes from German zerfressen, from German zer-, from German er-, from Middle High German er-, from Old High German ir-, from Proto-West Germanic uʀ-, from Proto-Germanic uz-, from Proto-Indo-European uss- — out, outward.
mottenzerfressen (German): moth-eaten
Ancestry of “mottenzerfressen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | zerfressen | to eat away |
| 2 | German | zer- | asunder, to pieces, to bits; to spoil by |
| 3 | German | er- | Inseparable verbal prefix that indicates a... |
| 4 | Middle High German | er- | — |
| 5 | Old High German | ir- | thoroughly |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | uʀ- | out, over; off, away |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | uz- | up, out |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | uss- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | uds- | up, out |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | úd | out, outward |