Where does “cobalt” come from?
cobalt (Romanian) comes from French cobalt, 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 — to cover; to incline.
cobalt (Romanian): cobalt
Ancestry of “cobalt”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | cobalt | cobalt |
| 2 | German | kobalt | — |
| 3 | English | Kobold | goblin |
| 4 | German | Kobold | kobold, goblin |
| 5 | Middle High German | holt | goblin |
| 6 | Old High German | hold | friendly , loyal |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | *holþ | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | hulþaz | inclined, favourable; gracious, devoted, loyal;... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |