Where does “nap” come from?

nap (English) comes from Old Swedish nappa, from Old Norse hnappa, from Proto-Germanic hnappōną, from Proto-Indo-European knobʰnéh₂-.

nap (English): A short period of sleep, especially one during...

Definitions

  1. A short period of sleep, especially one during...

Ancestry of “nap”, step by step

nap traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Swedish nappa

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Swedishnappato pinch, pluck
2Old Norsehnappa—
3Proto-Germanichnappōnąto pick, pluck, tear off
4Proto-Indo-Europeanknobʰnéh₂-—

via Middle English nappen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishnappenTo nap or doze; to have a short sleep; To be...
2Old Englishhnappianto doze, slumber, sleep

Words derived from “nap”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European knobʰnéh₂- →Every word from Proto-Germanic hnappōną →Every word from Old Norse hnappa →