Where does “Lëtzebuerg” come from?
Lëtzebuerg (Luxembourgish) comes from Luxembourgish Lützelburg, from Old High German Lucilinburhuc, from Old High German luzil, from Proto-Germanic luttilaz, from Proto-Germanic lūtilaz, from Proto-Germanic burgz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰr̥ǵʰ-.
Ancestry of “Lëtzebuerg”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luxembourgish | Lützelburg | — |
| 2 | Old High German | Lucilinburhuc | — |
| 3 | Old High German | luzil | little |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | luttilaz | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | lūtilaz | bent; tending to stoop; crouching; little |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | burgz | fortification, stronghold; city |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰr̥ǵʰ- | — |