Ernst

E1R1N1S1T1

proper noun

A surname.

OriginGerman Ernst ← Old High German ernust ← Proto-Germanic *ernustuz →
CommonScrabble 5
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A surname.

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*ernustuz
  2. Old High Germanernust“vigor, strife”
  3. GermanErnst
  4. EnglishErnst

Borrowed from German Ernst, a medieval royal name in Germany, from Old High German ernust (“vigor, strife”), from Proto-Germanic *ernustuz. Doublet of earnest.

More words from German, Old High German, Proto-Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

sternnertssnert
Cite this entry
APA

Ernst. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ernst

MLA

“Ernst.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ernst. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Ernst,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ernst.

Source: Ernst on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.