Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “rīche” come from?

rīche (Middle High German) comes from Old High German rīhhi, from Proto-West Germanic rīkī, from Proto-Germanic rīkijaz, from Proto-Germanic rīks, from Proto-Celtic rīxs, from Proto-Indo-European h₃rḗǵs, from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- — to straighten, to right oneself; right; just.

Ancestry of “rīche”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanrīhhirich, mighty; power, might, empire; realm
2Proto-West Germanicrīkīmighty, powerful; rich; kingdom, realm
3Proto-Germanicrīkijazkingly, royal, noble; mighty, powerful; rich
4Proto-Germanicrīksking, ruler
5Proto-Celticrīxsking
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃rḗǵsking, ruler
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃reǵ-to straighten, to right oneself; right; just

Words derived from “rīche”

  • farbenreich
  • torreich
  • eisenreich
  • niederschlagsreich
  • tränenreich
  • molybdänreich
  • schwefelreich
  • schwerreich
  • bilderreich
  • kohlenstoffreich
  • humusreich
  • sauerstoffreich
  • stinkreich
  • selenreich
  • wasserreich
  • ultrareich
  • steinreich
  • einwohnerreich
  • zahlreich
  • strontiumreich
  • klippenreich
  • reichlich
  • fischreich
  • umfangreich
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- →