Where does “hvítabjørn” come from?

hvítabjørn (Faroese) comes from Faroese hvítur, from Old Norse hvítr, from Proto-Germanic hwītaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱweytos — bright; shine; shine; bright.

hvítabjørn (Faroese): polar bear

Definitions

  1. polar bear

Ancestry of “hvítabjørn”, step by step

hvítabjørn traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Faroese hvítur

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Faroesehvíturwhite
2Old Norsehvítrwhite
3Proto-Germanichwītazwhite
4Proto-Indo-Europeanḱweytosbright; shine; shine; bright

via Faroese Bjørn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1FaroeseBjørnbear
2Old NorseBjǫrnbear (animal)
3Proto-Germanicbernuzbear
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱweytos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwītaz →Every word from Old Norse hvítr →