Where does “鉄オタ” come from?

鉄オタ (Japanese) comes from Japanese 鉄道, from German Eisenbahn, from German Bahn, from Middle High German ban, from Old High German bana, from Proto-West Germanic *banu, from Proto-Germanic banō, from Proto-Germanic banô.

鉄オタ (Japanese): railfan

Definitions

  1. railfan

Ancestry of “鉄オタ”, step by step

鉄オタ traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 鉄道

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese鉄道railway
2GermanEisenbahnrailway, railroad; train
3GermanBahnroute, trail; rail transport; tram, train;...
4Middle High Germanban
5Old High Germanbana
6Proto-West Germanic*banu
7Proto-Germanicbanōa battlefield; a clearing; open space; a cleared...
8Proto-Germanicbanômurderer
9Proto-Indo-Europeangʷʰon-on-
10Proto-Indo-Europeangʷʰen-to strike, slay, kill
11Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰon-

via Japanese オタク

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japaneseオタクgeek, nerd; one who is obsessed with something to...
2Japaneseお宅your home; you; geek
3Japanese"indicates that the is honorific"; often used to...
4Middle Chinese
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰon-