Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Zealand” come from?

Zealand derives from Danish Sjælland, from Old Norse Selund, from Old Norse selr meaning seal, from Proto-Germanic selhaz, from Proto-Indo-European selk-.

Ancestry of “Zealand”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1DanishSjælland—
2Old NorseSelund—
3Old Norseselrseal; second-person singular present indicative...
4Proto-Germanicselhazseal
5Proto-Indo-Europeanselk-to pull, drag; to drag, to furrow; to pull, draw

Words derived from “Zealand”

  • Zealander
  • Zealandia
  • Zealandic
  • Zealandian
Every word from Proto-Indo-European selk- →