Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “guernsey” come from?

guernsey (English) comes from English Guernsey, from Old Norse ey, from Proto-Norse *ᚨᚢᛃᚢ, from Proto-Germanic awjō, from Proto-Germanic agwjō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ — water.

guernsey (English): A seaman's knitted woolen sweater, similar to a...

Definitions

  1. A seaman's knitted woolen sweater, similar to a...

Ancestry of “guernsey”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishGuernseyA cow of a breed of dairy cattle originally bred...
2Old Norseeyalways, ever; island
3Proto-Norse*ᚨᚢᛃᚢ—
4Proto-Germanicawjōfloodplain; meadow; island
5Proto-Germanicagwjō—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water

Words derived from “guernsey”

  • geansaí
  • geansaidh
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ →