Where does “шпиццанге” come from?
шпиццанге (Serbo-Croatian) comes from German Spitzzange, from German Zange, from Middle High German zange, from Old High German zanga, from Proto-West Germanic *tangu, from Proto-Germanic tangō, from Proto-Indo-European denḱ- — to bite.
шпиццанге (Serbo-Croatian): needlenose pliers
Ancestry of “шпиццанге”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | Spitzzange | — |
| 2 | German | Zange | a pair of pincers, pliers, tongs, forceps |
| 3 | Middle High German | zange | — |
| 4 | Old High German | zanga | tongs |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *tangu | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | tangō | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | denḱ- | to bite |