Where does “Orkney” come from?
Orkney (English) comes from Old Norse Orkneyjar, from Old Norse ey, from Proto-Norse *ᚨᚢᛃᚢ, from Proto-Germanic awjō, from Proto-Germanic agwjō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ — water.
Ancestry of “Orkney”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | Orkneyjar | — |
| 2 | Old Norse | ey | always, ever; island |
| 3 | Proto-Norse | *ᚨᚢᛃᚢ | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | awjō | floodplain; meadow; island |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | agwjō | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ékʷeh₂ | water |
Words derived from “Orkney”