Where does “nichts” come from?
nichts (German) comes from Middle High German nihtes niht, from Old High German niowiht, from Old High German nio, 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.
nichts (German): nothing
Ancestry of “nichts”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | nihtes niht | nothing of nothing |
| 2 | Old High German | niowiht | — |
| 3 | Old High German | nio | never |
| 4 | Old High German | io | always |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | aiw | long time, age, eternity; law |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | aiwaz | long time, age, eternity |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eyu- | vitality; eternal; vital force, life, long life,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ey- | vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning |
Words derived from “nichts”