Where does “nixe” come from?

nixe (German) comes from Middle High German nickes, from Old High German nichus, from Proto-Germanic nikwus, from Proto-Indo-European nigʷ-ō-s, from Proto-Indo-European neygʷ- — to wash.

nixe (German): nixie (female water-spirit)

Definitions

  1. nixie (female water-spirit)

Ancestry of “nixe”, step by step

nixe traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle High German nickes

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germannickes—
2Old High Germannichus—
3Proto-Germanicnikwuswater-spirit; nix
4Proto-Indo-Europeannigʷ-ō-s—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanneygʷ-to wash

via Middle High German nixe

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germannixe—
2Old High Germannicchessa—

Words derived from “nixe”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European neygʷ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European nigʷ-ō-s →Every word from Proto-Germanic nikwus →