Where does “Norway” come from?

Norway derives from Old English Norweġ, from Old Norse Norvegr, combining Old Norse norðr (north) and Proto-Germanic wegaz (way), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ-.

Norway (English): Short for Norway rat

Definitions

  1. Short for Norway rat

Ancestry of “Norway”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishNorwey—
2Old EnglishNorþweg—
3Old NorseNorvegrnorth way
4Old NorseNorðvegr—
5Old Norsenorðrnorth; north, northward
6Proto-Germanicnurþrąnorth, northern; north, northward
7Proto-Germanicnurþraznorth, northern
8Proto-Indo-European*nérbelow the surface, below

Words derived from “Norway”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European *nér →Every word from Proto-Germanic nurþraz →Every word from Proto-Germanic nurþrą →