English
umlaut
Umlaut comes from German Laut ‘sound’, from Middle High German lūt ‘loud’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew- ‘to hear’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱlew-‘to hear’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱlutós‘heard, listened’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hlūdaz‘loud’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hlūd‘loud’reconstructed
- Old High Germanc. 750–1050lūt‘loud’
- Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350lūt‘loud’
- Germanc. 1650–presentLaut‘sound’
- German, derivedc. 1650–presentUmlaut
- Englishearliest quotation 1980umlaut
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱlew-‘to hear’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱlutós‘heard, listened’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hlūdaz‘loud’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hlūd‘loud’reconstructed
- Old High Germanc. 750–1050lūt‘loud’
- Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350lūt‘loud’
- Germanc. 1650–presentLaut‘sound’
- German, derivedc. 1650–presentUmlaut
- Englishearliest quotation 1980umlaut
Earliest quotation: 1980, Frederick B. Agard, The Genealogy of the French Language: “These, together with (some) Romansh lects, belong to our…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew- ‘to hear’
listen, client, scout, linn, leer, lithe, shruti, 13 more
through Proto-Germanic *hlūdaz ‘loud’
through Proto-West Germanic *hlūd ‘loud’
Today it means
noun An assimilatory process whereby a vowel is pronounced more like a following vocoid that is separated by one or more consonants.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew- / umlaut