Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “verschlimmern” come from?

verschlimmern (German) comes from German schlimm, from German slīm, from Middle High German slimp, from Old High German slimb, from Proto-West Germanic *slimb, from Proto-Germanic slimbaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)lemb- — to droop; sag; hang loosely.

verschlimmern (German): to make worse, to worsen, to aggravate

Definitions

  1. to make worse, to worsen, to aggravate

Ancestry of “verschlimmern”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanschlimmbad, terrible, serious , dire, horrible, awful;...
2Germanslīm—
3Middle High Germanslimpslanting, awry
4Old High Germanslimb—
5Proto-West Germanic*slimb—
6Proto-Germanicslimbazaslant; sloping; askew; crooked; wrong
7Proto-Indo-European(s)lemb-to droop; sag; hang loosely
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)lemb- →