English
Himmelsbrief
Himmelsbrief comes from German Himmelsbrief.
- Germanc. 1650–presentHimmelsbrief
- Englishearliest quotation 1928same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Germanc. 1650–presentHimmelsbrief
- Englishearliest quotation 1928same form
Earliest quotation: 1928, Edwyn Bevan, Sibyls and Seers: “The idea of the Himmelsbrief, the letter from heaven,…”
The story
Borrowed from German Himmelsbrief, probably via Pennsylvania German.
Every English word from German Himmelsbrief
Today it means
noun A type of early chain letter alleged to have been written by God (and fallen from the sky), typically offering divine protection to its bearer.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / German Himmelsbrief / Himmelsbrief