Where does “שנייעלע” come from?
שנייעלע (Yiddish) comes from Yiddish שניי, from Middle High German snê, from Old High German snēo, from Proto-West Germanic snaiw, from Proto-Germanic snaiwaz, from Proto-Indo-European snóygʷʰos, from Proto-Indo-European sneygʷʰ- — to snow.
שנייעלע (Yiddish): snowflake
Ancestry of “שנייעלע”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Yiddish | שניי | snow |
| 2 | Middle High German | snê | — |
| 3 | Old High German | snēo | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | snaiw | snow |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | snaiwaz | snow |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | snóygʷʰos | snow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sneygʷʰ- | to snow |