Where does “Nibelung” come from?
Nibelung (Italian) comes from Middle High German nebel, from Romansch nibel, from Spanish nivel, from Old French nivel, from Vulgar Latin libellus, from Latin lībella, from Latin lībra, from Ancient Greek ζυγόν — to join, to yoke, to tie together.
Ancestry of “Nibelung”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | nebel | fog |
| 2 | Romansch | nibel | cloud |
| 3 | Spanish | nivel | level, tier, height; level, standard; level |
| 4 | Old French | nivel | — |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | libellus | a little book, booklet, pamphlet; a billet,... |
| 6 | Latin | lībella | An as (the tenth part of a denarius) |
| 7 | Latin | lībra | — |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | ζυγόν | yoke, for joining animals; yoke, burden; in... |
| 9 | Proto-Hellenic | dzugón | yoke |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yugóm | yoke |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | yewg- | to join, to yoke, to tie together |