Etymology Explorer › Danish

Where does “Jul” come from?

Jul (Danish) comes from Old Swedish iūl, from Old Norse jól, from Proto-Germanic jehwlą, from Proto-Indo-European yekə- — joke, play.

Ancestry of “Jul”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Swedishiūl—
2Old Norsejólyule, midwinter season
3Proto-Germanicjehwląfestivity, celebration; Yule
4Proto-Indo-Europeanyekə-joke, play
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yekə- →