Where does “neunschwänzige Katze” come from?

neunschwänzige Katze (German) comes from German neun, from Old High German niun, from Proto-West Germanic neun, from Proto-Germanic newun, from Proto-Indo-European h₁néwn̥ — nine.

neunschwänzige Katze (German): cat-o’-nine-tails

Definitions

  1. cat-o’-nine-tails

Ancestry of “neunschwänzige Katze”, step by step

neunschwänzige Katze traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German neun

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanneunnine
2Old High Germanniunnine
3Proto-West Germanicneunnine
4Proto-Germanicnewunnine
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁néwn̥nine

via German Schwanz

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanSchwanza tail; a cock, a penis; a prick
2Middle High Germanswanztail
3Middle High Germanswanzento swing
4Middle High Germanswanken—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁néwn̥ →Every word from Proto-Germanic newun →Every word from Proto-West Germanic neun →