Etymology Explorer › Faroese

Where does “Grikkaland” come from?

Grikkaland (Faroese) comes from Faroese grikki, from Old Norse grikkr, from Old East Slavic грькъ, from Vulgar Latin graecus, from Ancient Greek Γραικός, from Ancient Greek γραῖα, from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- — to grow old, to mature.

Ancestry of “Grikkaland”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1FaroesegrikkiGreek
2Old Norsegrikkrthe Byzantine Greeks; a person travelling to...
3Old East Slavicгрькъ—
4Vulgar LatingraecusGreek
5Ancient GreekΓραικόςGreek; a Graecian, a member of an ancient...
6Ancient Greekγραῖα—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanǵerh₂-to grow old, to mature
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- →