Where does “alt” come from?
alt (Middle High German) comes from Old High German alt, from Proto-West Germanic ald, from Proto-Germanic aldaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eltós, from Proto-Indo-European h₂él-.
Ancestry of “alt”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | alt | old |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | ald | old |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | aldaz | old, grown up |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eltós | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂él- | — |