Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “sterblich” come from?

sterblich (German) comes from German sterben, from Middle High German sterben, from Old High German sterban, from Proto-West Germanic *sterban, from Proto-Germanic sterbaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)terp- — to lose force; lose sensibility, become numb; be...

sterblich (German): mortal

Definitions

  1. mortal

Ancestry of “sterblich”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germansterbento die; to die of a death
2Middle High Germansterben—
3Old High Germansterban"strong class III"; to die, become lifeless
4Proto-West Germanic*sterban—
5Proto-Germanicsterbanąto become stiff; to die, become lifeless
6Proto-Indo-European(s)terp-to lose force; lose sensibility, become numb; be...

Words derived from “sterblich”

  • unsterblich
  • Sterblichkeit
  • Unsterblichkeit
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)terp- →