Etymology Explorer › Old Czech

Where does “král” come from?

král (Old Czech) comes from Proto-Slavic korľь, from Old High German karl, from Proto-Germanic karilaz, from Proto-Germanic karaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- — to grow old, to mature.

Ancestry of “král”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Slavickorľьking
2Old High Germankarlman
3Proto-Germanickarilazfree man, franklin; little man, young man
4Proto-Germanickaraz—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵerh₂-to grow old, to mature
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- →