Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “ërnest” come from?

ërnest (Middle High German) comes from Old High German ernust, from Proto-Germanic ernustuz, from Proto-Germanic arniz, from Proto-Indo-European er- — eagle, bird; loose, light, rare, sparse; to fail,...

Ancestry of “ërnest”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanernustserious
2Proto-Germanicernustuzseriousness; earnest; strength; solidity;...
3Proto-Germanicarnizefficient, capable, diligent, sure
4Proto-Indo-Europeaner-eagle, bird; loose, light, rare, sparse; to fail,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European er- →