Where does “コバルト” come from?
コバルト (Japanese) comes from Dutch kobalt, from German kobalt, from English Kobold, from German Kobold, from Middle High German holt, from Old High German hold, from Proto-West Germanic *holþ, from Proto-Germanic hulþaz — to cover; to incline.
コバルト (Japanese): cobalt, Co; cobalt blue
Ancestry of “コバルト”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Dutch | kobalt | The metallic element and material cobalt; The die... |
| 2 | German | kobalt | — |
| 3 | English | Kobold | goblin |
| 4 | German | Kobold | kobold, goblin |
| 5 | Middle High German | holt | goblin |
| 6 | Old High German | hold | friendly , loyal |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | *holþ | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | hulþaz | inclined, favourable; gracious, devoted, loyal;... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |