Where does “דער” come from?
דער (Yiddish) comes from Middle High German der, from Middle High German wīle, from Old High German wīla, from Proto-West Germanic hwīlu, from Proto-Germanic hwīlō, from Proto-Indo-European kʷyeh₁- — to rest; rest, peace.
דער (Yiddish): the; this
Ancestry of “דער”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | der | — |
| 2 | Middle High German | wīle | — |
| 3 | Old High German | wīla | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hwīlu | period of rest, pause; time, period of time,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hwīlō | time, period of time, while; period of rest,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷyeh₁- | to rest; rest, peace |