Where does “schwarzgrau” come from?

schwarzgrau (German) comes from German Schwärz, from Middle High German swarz, from Old High German swarz, from Proto-West Germanic swart, from Proto-Germanic swartaz, from Proto-Indo-European swordo- — dirty, dark, black.

schwarzgrau (German): very dark, blackish grey

Definitions

  1. very dark, blackish grey

Ancestry of “schwarzgrau”, step by step

schwarzgrau traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Schwärz

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanSchwärz—
2Middle High Germanswarz—
3Old High Germanswarzblack
4Proto-West Germanicswartblack
5Proto-Germanicswartazblack
6Proto-Indo-Europeanswordo-dirty, dark, black

via German Grau

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanGraugrey
2Middle High Germangrā—
3Old High Germangrāogrey
4Proto-Germanicgrēwazgrey
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰreh₁-to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swordo- →Every word from Proto-Germanic swartaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic swart →