Where does “Windhuk” come from?
Windhuk (Polish) comes from Afrikaans Windhoek, from Afrikaans wind, from Dutch wind, from Middle Dutch wint, from Old Dutch wint, from Proto-West Germanic wind, from Proto-Germanic windaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂wéh₁n̥ts — to blow.
Ancestry of “Windhuk”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Afrikaans | Windhoek | — |
| 2 | Afrikaans | wind | wind movement of air |
| 3 | Dutch | wind | wind; flatulence, fart; greyhound |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | wint | wind; cardinal direction; air |
| 5 | Old Dutch | wint | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | wind | wind |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | windaz | wind |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂wéh₁n̥ts | blowing; that which blows; the wind, air |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂wḗh₁ti | to blow |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂weh₁- | to blow |