Where does “cōbaltum” come from?
cōbaltum (New Latin) comes from German kobalt, from English Kobold, from German Kobold, from Middle High German holt, from Old High German hold, from Proto-West Germanic *holþ, from Proto-Germanic hulþaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- — to cover; to incline.
Ancestry of “cōbaltum”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | kobalt | cobalt |
| 2 | English | Kobold | goblin |
| 3 | German | Kobold | kobold, goblin |
| 4 | Middle High German | holt | goblin |
| 5 | Old High German | hold | friendly, loyal |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | *holþ | gracious |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | hulþaz | inclined, favourable; gracious, devoted, loyal;... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |