Where does “Malmö” come from?
Malmö (German) comes from Swedish Malmö, from Danish Malmoghe, from Danish malm, from Old Norse malmr, from Proto-Germanic malmaz, from Proto-Indo-European melh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European mel-, from Proto-Indo-European mey- — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.
Ancestry of “Malmö”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Swedish | Malmö | — |
| 2 | Danish | Malmoghe | — |
| 3 | Danish | malm | ore; bronze, brass |
| 4 | Old Norse | malmr | ore, metal |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | malmaz | sand; ore |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |