Where does “umlaut” come from?
umlaut (German) comes from German Laut, from Middle High German lūt, from Old High German lūt, from Proto-West Germanic hlūd, from Proto-Germanic hlūdaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱlewtos, from Proto-Indo-European ḱlew-, from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- — to cover; to incline.
Ancestry of “umlaut”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | Laut | sound; noise |
| 2 | Middle High German | lūt | — |
| 3 | Old High German | lūt | loud |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hlūd | loud; sound |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hlūdaz | loud; famous |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱlewtos | heard, famous |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱlew- | to hear |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |