Where does “isbjørn” come from?

isbjørn (Danish) comes from Danish bjørn, from Old Danish biørn, from Old Norse Bjǫrn, from Proto-Germanic bernuz — bear.

isbjørn (Danish): polar bear

Definitions

  1. polar bear

Ancestry of “isbjørn”, step by step

isbjørn traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Danish bjørn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Danishbjørnbear; lubber's hole
2Old Danishbiørn—
3Old NorseBjǫrnbear (animal)
4Proto-Germanicbernuzbear

via Danish is

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Danishisice; ice, ice cream
2Old Norseíssice
3Proto-Germanicīsąice
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁eyH-ice, frost
Every word from Proto-Germanic bernuz →Every word from Old Norse Bjǫrn →Every word from Old Danish biørn →
isbjørn — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer