Where does “schwerfallen” come from?

schwerfallen (German) comes from German schwer, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti — he, she.

schwerfallen (German): to be difficult

Definitions

  1. to be difficult

Ancestry of “schwerfallen”, step by step

schwerfallen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German schwer

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanschwerheavy, weighty; difficult, hard; serious
2English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
3Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
4Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
5Latin-ārefirst conjugation
6Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
7Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
8Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
10Chichewaiyehe, she

via German fällen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanfällento cut down, to fell; to precipitate; to make
2Middle High Germanvellen
3Old High Germanfellen
4Proto-Germanic*fallijan
5Proto-Germanicfallijanąto cause to fall, to fell
6Proto-Germanicfallanąto fall
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpōl-
8Slovincianpólhalf
9Proto-Slavicpolъside, flank; half; member of a pair of options →...
10Proto-Indo-European(s)pelH-to split off, separate; to chop, to separate
Every word from Chichewa iye