Where does “burgermeister” come from?
burgermeister (Middle High German) comes from Middle High German meister, from Old High German meistar, from Vulgar Latin maester, from Latin magister, from Proto-Italic magisteros, from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂isteros, from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂s — big, great.
Ancestry of “burgermeister”, step by step
burgermeister traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle High German meister
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | meister | master |
| 2 | Old High German | meistar | — |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | maester | — |
| 4 | Latin | magister | teacher; master; a title of the Middle Ages,... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | magisteros | bigger, greater |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | méǵh₂isteros | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | méǵh₂s | big, great |