Where does “erde” come from?
erde (Middle Dutch) comes from Old Dutch ertha, from Proto-West Germanic erþu, from Proto-Germanic erþō, from Proto-Indo-European h₁er- — earth.
erde (Middle Dutch): the Earth; soil, ground
Ancestry of “erde”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Dutch | ertha | earth |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | erþu | earth, world; earth, soil |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | erþō | earth |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁er- | earth |