Where does “Eysturoy” come from?
Eysturoy (Faroese) comes from Faroese oy, from Old Norse ey, from Proto-Norse *ᚨᚢᛃᚢ, from Proto-Germanic awjō, from Proto-Germanic agwjō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ — water.
Ancestry of “Eysturoy”, step by step
Eysturoy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Faroese oy
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Faroese | oy | island |
| 2 | Old Norse | ey | always, ever; island |
| 3 | Proto-Norse | *ᚨᚢᛃᚢ | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | awjō | floodplain; meadow; island |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | agwjō | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ékʷeh₂ | water |
via Faroese eystur
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Faroese | eystur | east, eastward; east |
| 2 | Old Norse | austr | east |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | austrą | east; east, eastward |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | austraz | east, eastern |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | *h₂éwsteros | in the direction of dawn, east |