Where does “eich” come from?
eich (Middle High German) comes from Old High German eih, from Proto-West Germanic aik, from Proto-West Germanic *-ilā, from Proto-Germanic aiks, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eyǵ- — goat; oak.
Ancestry of “eich”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | eih | oak |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | aik | oak |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *-ilā | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | aiks | oak tree; oak |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eyǵ- | goat; oak |