Where does “Reykjavík” come from?
Reykjavík (Icelandic) comes from Old Norse reykja, from Proto-Germanic raukijaną, from Proto-Germanic -janą, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti, from Proto-Indo-European yé-, from Chichewa iye — he, she.
Reykjavík (Icelandic): bay of smokes
Definitions
- bay of smokes
Ancestry of “Reykjavík”, step by step
Reykjavík traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old Norse reykja
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | reykja | to smoke |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | raukijaną | to smoke |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | -janą | Derives denominatives from nouns and factitives... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 6 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via Old Norse Reykjavík
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | Reykjavík | Reykjavík |
| 2 | Old Norse | Vík | a small bay, a cove, an inlet |
| 3 | Old Norse | víkja | to move, bend, curve; to move, curve, bend |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | wīkwaną | to yield, to fold; to retreat |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | weyḱ- | to enter in; to settle; settlement |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wey- | to wither; fade; to move, go ahead; to be strong;... |