Where does “aequilibrium” come from?
aequilibrium (Latin) comes from German Gleichgewicht, from German gleich, from Middle High German gelīch, from Old High German gilīh, from Proto-West Germanic galīk, from Proto-Germanic galīkaz, from Proto-Indo-European leyǵ- — to bind, tie.
Ancestry of “aequilibrium”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | Gleichgewicht | equilibrium; balance, poise |
| 2 | German | gleich | equal; same; very similar; same; identical |
| 3 | Middle High German | gelīch | — |
| 4 | Old High German | gilīh | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | galīk | alike, similar |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | galīkaz | alike, similar; equal |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | leyǵ- | to bind, tie |