Arbeit
/ˈaʁ.baɪ̯t/noun
A German word meaning work, labor, or employment, also used in English contexts as a German loanword.
Did you know?Arbeit belongs to a Germanic-Slavic word family linked by some historical linguists to an ancient root associated with servitude, producing relatives such as German Arbeit and Czech robota, the source of “robot.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂órbʰos
“A reconstructed root associated with orphanhood, deprivation, or servitude; its exact semantic development is debated.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*arbaiþī
“Work, labor, or hardship.”
Gothic
Gothic
𐌰𐍂𐌱𐌰𐌹𐌸𐍃 (arbaiþs)
“Work, labor, or trouble.”
Old High German
OHG
arbeit
“Labor, hardship, or exertion.”
Middle High German
MHG
arbeit
“Work, toil, or difficult exertion.”
Modern German
German
Arbeit
“Work, labor, employment, or a piece of written work.”