Where does “reindeer” come from?
Reindeer comes from Middle English rayne-dere, from Old Norse hreindýri, where hreinn derives from Proto-Germanic deuzą and Proto-Indo-European ḱer-, ultimately traced to Proto-Indo-European roots krey- and dʰwes-.
reindeer (English): Any Arctic and subarctic-dwelling deer of the...
Definitions
- Any Arctic and subarctic-dwelling deer of the...
Ancestry of “reindeer”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | reyndere | — |
| 2 | Old Norse | hreindýri | reindeer |
| 3 | Old Norse | dýr | animal |
| 4 | Proto-Norse | *ᛞᛖᚢᛉᚨ | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | deuzą | animal, beast |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewsóm | living thing |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰéws | breath |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰwes- | to breathe; breath; spirit, soul > creature |