Where does “צווייטבעסט” come from?
צווייטבעסט (Yiddish) comes from Yiddish בעסט, from Middle High German beȥȥist, from Old High German beȥȥisto, from Proto-Germanic batistaz, from Proto-Germanic gōdaz, from Proto-Germanic gadaną, from Proto-Indo-European gʰedʰ- — to join; to unite; to suit.
צווייטבעסט (Yiddish): second-best
Ancestry of “צווייטבעסט”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Yiddish | בעסט | superlative degree of גוט; best |
| 2 | Middle High German | beȥȥist | — |
| 3 | Old High German | beȥȥisto | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | batistaz | superlative degree of *gōdaz; superlative degree... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | gōdaz | good |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | gadaną | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰedʰ- | to join; to unite; to suit |