Where does “Hvítá” come from?

Hvítá (Icelandic) comes from Icelandic á, from Icelandic líkur, from Old Norse líkr, from Proto-Germanic galīkaz, from Proto-Indo-European leyǵ- — to bind, tie.

Hvítá (Icelandic): the name of several glacial rivers in Iceland

Definitions

  1. the name of several glacial rivers in Iceland

Ancestry of “Hvítá”, step by step

Hvítá traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Icelandic á

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1IcelandicáThe name of the Latin-script letter Á; river;...
2Icelandiclíkuralike, similar, like, resembling; likelihood,...
3Old Norselíkrsame, like, equal; alike, resembling; probable,...
4Proto-Germanicgalīkazalike, similar; equal
5Proto-Indo-Europeanleyǵ-to bind, tie

via Icelandic hvítur

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Icelandichvíturwhite
2Old Norsehvítrwhite
3Proto-Germanichwītazwhite
4Proto-Indo-Europeanḱweytosbright; shine; shine; bright
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leyǵ-Every word from Proto-Germanic galīkazEvery word from Old Norse líkr