Where does “unter” come from?

unter (German) comes from Middle High German under, from Old High German untar, from Proto-Germanic under, from Proto-Indo-European h₁entér, from Proto-Indo-European h₁en — in; in, inside.

unter (German): under; below; among, between

Definitions

  1. under; below; among, between

Ancestry of “unter”, step by step

unter traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle High German under

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanunder—
2Old High Germanuntarunder
3Proto-Germanicunderamong, between; under, beneath; under
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁entérbetween
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁enin; in, inside

via Middle High German unter

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanunter—

Words derived from “unter”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁en →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁entér →Every word from Proto-Germanic under →