Where does “Hvíta-Rússland” come from?

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

Ancestry of “Hvíta-Rússland”, step by step

Hvíta-Rússland traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Icelandic hvítur

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

via Icelandic Rússland

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1IcelandicRússlandRussia
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱweytos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwītaz →Every word from Old Norse hvítr →