Etymograph

English

Sonderweg

Sonderweg comes from German Sonderweg ‘special path’, from Old High German wëg ‘way’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ- ‘to convey, transport’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weǵʰ-‘to convey, transport’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wéǵʰeti‘to be transporting’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*weganą‘to move, carry’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wegaz‘way’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*weg‘way, road’reconstructed
  6. Old High Germanc. 750–1050wëg‘way’
  7. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350wëc‘a way, a path, a trail, a track’
  8. Germanc. 1650–presentWeg‘path, trail, track’
  9. German, derivedc. 1650–presentSonderweg‘special path’literally ‘special path’
  10. Englishtodaysame form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weǵʰ-‘to convey, transport’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wéǵʰeti‘to be transporting’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*weganą‘to move, carry’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wegaz‘way’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*weg‘way, road’reconstructed
  6. Old High Germanc. 750–1050wëg‘way’
  7. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350wëc‘a way, a path, a trail, a track’
  8. Germanc. 1650–presentWeg‘path, trail, track’
  9. German, derivedc. 1650–presentSonderweg‘special path’literally ‘special path’
  10. Englishtodaysame form

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ- ‘to convey, transport’

via, vehicle, wave, reveal, vein, vogue, wagon, veil, wedge, wag, venous, vex, vena, invective, waw, wain, velar, wey, 40 more

through Proto-Indo-European *wéǵʰeti ‘to be transporting’

vector, eunuch, 9 more

through Proto-Germanic *weganą ‘to move, carry’

weigh, wee, wonky, 1 more

through Proto-West Germanic *weg ‘way, road’

way, always, halfway, headway, 1 more

Today it means

name The supposed positively or negatively 'special' path German history took before 1945 (different from e.g. the democratic path of Western Europe and the autocracy of Eastern Europe), considered as a cause of the political structure that developed in Germany.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ- / Sonderweg

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