Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “zersplittern” come from?

zersplittern (German) comes from German zer-, from German er-, from Middle High German er-, from Old High German ir-, from Proto-West Germanic uʀ-, from Proto-Germanic uz-, from Proto-Indo-European uss-, from Proto-Indo-European uds- — out, outward.

zersplittern (German): to splinter, to smash, to shatter; to break up,...

Definitions

  1. to splinter, to smash, to shatter; to break up,...

Ancestry of “zersplittern”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanzer-asunder, to pieces, to bits; to spoil by
2Germaner-Inseparable verbal prefix that indicates a...
3Middle High Germaner-—
4Old High Germanir-thoroughly
5Proto-West Germanicuʀ-out, over; off, away
6Proto-Germanicuz-up, out
7Proto-Indo-Europeanuss-—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanuds-up, out
9Proto-Indo-Europeanúdout, outward
Every word from Proto-Indo-European úd →