zungal (Old High German)
Where does "zungal" come from?
The Old High German noun 'zungal', meaning 'star', traces back to the Proto-Germanic term *tunglą. While its ultimate origin remains mysterious, linguists have debated whether it describes celestial bodies through their brightness or, as once suggested by Jacob Grimm, via a metaphorical connection to the flicking movement of a tongue. This word shares common Germanic roots with historical terms for stars in Old English, Old Norse, and Gothic, illustrating an ancient shared vocabulary for the night sky.
Full etymology tree
- *zungal (Old High German), 'star (astrum, sidus), heavenly body'
- inherited *tunglą (Proto-Germanic), 'luminary, orb'
Ancestors
- *tunglą (Proto-Germanic)
Cognates and doublets
- 𐍄𐌿𐌲𐌲𐌻 (Gothic)
- tungol (Old English)
- tungl (Old Norse)
Descendants and derived words
- himilzungal (Old High German)
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris