Where does “quāt” come from?
quāt (Middle High German) comes from Old High German quāt, from Proto-Germanic kwēdą, from Proto-Indo-European gʷuē- — excrement, dung.
Ancestry of “quāt”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | quāt | bad |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | kwēdą | manure; dung; filth; muck; wickedness; evil |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷuē- | excrement, dung |