Where does “ísbjörn” come from?
ísbjörn (Icelandic) comes from Icelandic ís, from Old Norse íss, from Proto-Germanic īsą, from Proto-Indo-European h₁eyH- — ice, frost.
ísbjörn (Icelandic): polar bear
Ancestry of “ísbjörn”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Icelandic | ís | ice; ice cream |
| 2 | Old Norse | íss | ice |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | īsą | ice |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁eyH- | ice, frost |