Where does “herc” come from?
herc (Polish) comes from German herz, from German -los, from Old Dutch -lōs, from Proto-West Germanic *-laus, from Proto-Germanic -lausaz, from Proto-Germanic lausaz, from Proto-Indo-European lewH- — louse.
herc (Polish): hertz
Ancestry of “herc”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | herz | singular imperative of herzen; first-person... |
| 2 | German | -los | -less |
| 3 | Old Dutch | -lōs | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *-laus | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -lausaz | -less, lacking, devoid of |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | lausaz | loose, free; empty, devoid; false, untrue |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lewH- | louse |