Etymology Explorer › Icelandic

Where does “ey” come from?

ey (Icelandic) comes from Old Norse ey, from Proto-Norse *ᚨᚢᛃᚢ, from Proto-Germanic awjō, from Proto-Germanic agwjō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ — water.

ey (Icelandic): island

Definitions

  1. island

Ancestry of “ey”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norseeyalways, ever; island
2Proto-Norse*ᚨᚢᛃᚢ—
3Proto-Germanicawjōfloodplain; meadow; island
4Proto-Germanicagwjō—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water

Words derived from “ey”

  • Grimsey
  • Eyjaálfa
  • Grímsey
  • eyja
  • sóley
  • draumsóley
  • brekkusóley
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ →