Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “schmalbrüstig” come from?

schmalbrüstig (German) comes from German schmal, from Middle High German smal, from Old High German smal, from Proto-West Germanic smal, from Proto-Germanic smalaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)mal- — small; little.

schmalbrüstig (German): narrow-chested

Definitions

  1. narrow-chested

Ancestry of “schmalbrüstig”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanschmalnarrow; small, slender
2Middle High Germansmal—
3Old High Germansmalsmall
4Proto-West Germanicsmalsmall
5Proto-Germanicsmalazsmall
6Proto-Indo-European(s)mal-small; little
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)mal- →