Where does “häxjakt” come from?
häxjakt (Swedish) comes from Swedish jäkt, from Old Swedish iäkt, from Middle Low German jacht, from Old Dutch jagot, from Proto-West Germanic jagōþu, from Proto-West Germanic -ōþu, from Proto-Germanic -ōþuz, from Proto-Germanic -þuz — Derives action nouns from verb roots.
häxjakt (Swedish): witch-hunt
Ancestry of “häxjakt”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Swedish | jäkt | hurry; stress |
| 2 | Old Swedish | iäkt | — |
| 3 | Middle Low German | jacht | a hunt; a chase, a pursuit; a fast ship |
| 4 | Old Dutch | jagot | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | jagōþu | hunt, hunting; chase, pursuit |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -ōþu | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -ōþuz | Forms nouns from weak class 2 verbs, possibly... |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | -þuz | Forms result nouns from verb roots, usually from... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -tus | Derives action nouns from verb roots |