Where does “fergismajniht” come from?
fergismajniht (Serbo-Croatian) comes from German Vergissmeinnicht, from German nicht, from Middle High German niwiht, from Old High German niowiht, from Old High German nio, from Old High German io, from Proto-West Germanic aiw, from Proto-Germanic aiwaz — vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning.
fergismajniht (Serbo-Croatian): forget-me-not
Ancestry of “fergismajniht”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | Vergissmeinnicht | forget-me-not |
| 2 | German | nicht | not, non-; right?; is it?; is it not? |
| 3 | Middle High German | niwiht | — |
| 4 | Old High German | niowiht | — |
| 5 | Old High German | nio | never |
| 6 | Old High German | io | always |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | aiw | long time, age, eternity; law |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | aiwaz | long time, age, eternity |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eyu- | vitality; eternal; vital force, life, long life,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ey- | vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning |