Where does “Reykjavik” come from?

Reykjavik derives from Old Norse Reykjavík, combining reykja, meaning smoke, and vík, meaning bay, from Proto-Germanic wīkō and Proto-Indo-European roots rewg- and wey-.

Ancestry of “Reykjavik”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1IcelandicReykjavíkbay of smokes
2Old Norsereykjato smoke
3Proto-Germanicraukijanąto smoke
4Proto-Germanic-janąDerives denominatives from nouns and factitives...
5Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
7Chichewaiyehe, she

Words derived from “Reykjavik”

Every word from Chichewa iye →Every word from Proto-Germanic -janą →Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yéti →
Reykjavik — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer