Where does “wolfsgrube” come from?

wolfsgrube (German) comes from German Grube, from Middle High German gruobe, from Middle High German gruoba, from Proto-Germanic grōbō, from Proto-Germanic grabaną, from Proto-Indo-European gʰrābʰ- — to dig, scratch, scrape.

wolfsgrube (German): wolf pit, a deep, covered pit for trapping wolves

Definitions

  1. wolf pit, a deep, covered pit for trapping wolves

Ancestry of “wolfsgrube”, step by step

wolfsgrube traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Grube

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanGrubepit; mine
2Middle High Germangruobe—
3Middle High Germangruoba—
4Proto-Germanicgrōbōhole, ditch, pit
5Proto-Germanicgrabanąto dig; to engrave, scratch
6Proto-Indo-Europeangʰrābʰ-to dig, scratch, scrape

via German wolf

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanwolfwolf
2Middle High Germanwolfwolf
3Old High Germanwolfwolf
4Proto-West Germanicwulfwolf
5Proto-Germanicwulfazwolf
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwĺ̥kʷoswolf
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰrābʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic grabaną →Every word from Proto-Germanic grōbō →