English
Tatzelwurm
Tatzelwurm comes from German Tatzelwurm.
- Germanc. 1650–presentTatzelwurm
- Englishearliest quotation 2006same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Germanc. 1650–presentTatzelwurm
- Englishearliest quotation 2006same form
Earliest quotation: 2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day: “Men had been known to quit work here, claiming…”
A compound of Tatze ‘paw of larger animals, especially bears’ + Wurm ‘worm’
Middle High German tatze
German Tatze ‘paw of larger animals, especially bears’
Middle High German tatze
German Tatze ‘paw of larger animals, especially bears’
German Wurm ‘worm’
Every English word from German Tatzelwurm
Today it means
noun A worm-like cryptid reported to live in the Alps.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / German Tatzelwurm / Tatzelwurm