Where does “stå på ruinens brant” come from?

stå på ruinens brant (Swedish) comes from Swedish stå, from Old Swedish stā, from Old Norse standa, from Proto-Germanic standaną, from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂-.

stå på ruinens brant (Swedish): to be close to (financial or psychological) collapse; to be on the brink of ruin, to be on the verge of a mental breakdown, etc

Definitions

  1. to be close to (financial or psychological) collapse; to be on the brink of ruin, to be on the verge of a mental breakdown, etc

Ancestry of “stå på ruinens brant”, step by step

stå på ruinens brant traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Swedish stå

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishståstand; be in an upright position; be at a...
2Old Swedishstā
3Old Norsestandato stand
4Proto-Germanicstandanąto stand
5Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-

via Swedish brant

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishbrantsteep
2Old Norsebrantr
3Proto-Germanicbrantaztall, high, towering
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰren-project; to project; to stand out; to project;...

via Swedish

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishon, on top of; touching from above; on, against,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂-Every word from Proto-Germanic standanąEvery word from Old Norse standa