Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “wīher” come from?

wīher (Middle High German) comes from Old High German wīwāri, from Proto-Germanic *wīwārī, from Latin vīvārium, from Latin vīvō, from Proto-Italic gʷīwō, from Proto-Indo-European gʷíh₃weti, from Proto-Indo-European gʷih₃wós, from Proto-Indo-European gʷeih₃w- — to live.

Ancestry of “wīher”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanwīwāri—
2Proto-Germanic*wīwārī—
3Latinvīvārium—
4Latinvīvō—
5Proto-Italicgʷīwōlive, be alive
6Proto-Indo-Europeangʷíh₃wetito live, to be alive
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʷih₃wósalive, living
8Proto-Indo-Europeangʷeih₃w-to live
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷeih₃w- →