Where does “unterwegs” come from?

unterwegs (German) comes from German unter-, from German Unter, 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.

unterwegs (German): en route, in transit, underway; on the way or...

Definitions

  1. en route, in transit, underway; on the way or...

Ancestry of “unterwegs”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanunter-sub-, under-
2GermanUnterjack, knave
3Middle High Germanunder—
4Old High Germanuntarunder
5Proto-Germanicunderamong, between; under, beneath; under
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁entérbetween
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁enin; in, inside
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁en →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁entér →Every word from Proto-Germanic under →