Where does “Proto-Norse” come from?
Proto-Norse (English) comes from English proto, from English proto-, from Ancient Greek πρωτο-, from Ancient Greek πρῶτος, from Ancient Greek πρό, from Proto-Indo-European pró, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.
Proto-Norse (English): An Indo-European language spoken in Scandinavia and ancestral to Old Norse that evolved from Proto-Germanic over the first centuries AD
Definitions
- An Indo-European language spoken in Scandinavia and ancestral to Old Norse that evolved from Proto-Germanic over the first centuries AD
Ancestry of “Proto-Norse”, step by step
Proto-Norse traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English proto
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | proto | Prototypical; preceding the proper beginning of... |
| 2 | English | proto- | first; most recent common ancestor of; Relating... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | πρωτο- | first, primary |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | πρῶτος | first; earliest; foremost, most prominent |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | πρό | before; before, in front, forth, forward; before,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pró | toward, leading to |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via English Norse
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Norse | Of or relating to the people, language and... |
| 2 | Danish | norsk | Norwegian; the Norwegian language |
| 3 | Old Danish | nornst | — |
| 4 | Old Norse | norrœnn | northern |
| 5 | Old Norse | norðrœnn | northern |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | nurþrōnijaz | northern |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | nurþraz | north, northern |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | *nér | below the surface, below |