Where does “iwwel” come from?
iwwel (Pennsylvania German) comes from Middle High German übel, from Old High German ubil, from Proto-West Germanic ubil, from Proto-Germanic *ubilaz.
iwwel (Pennsylvania German): evil; bad; calamitous
Ancestry of “iwwel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | übel | — |
| 2 | Old High German | ubil | evil |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | ubil | bad, evil |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *ubilaz | — |