Etymology Explorer › Icelandic

Where does “hákarl” come from?

hákarl (Icelandic) comes from Old Norse hákarl, from Old Norse Karl, from Proto-Norse ᚲᚨᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ, from Proto-Germanic karilaz, from Proto-Germanic karaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- — to grow old, to mature.

hákarl (Icelandic): a Greenland shark, "Somniosus microcephalus"; any...

Definitions

  1. a Greenland shark, "Somniosus microcephalus"; any...

Ancestry of “hákarl”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsehákarla shark
2Old NorseKarl—
3Proto-Norseᚲᚨᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ—
4Proto-Germanickarilazfree man, franklin; little man, young man
5Proto-Germanickaraz—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵerh₂-to grow old, to mature
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- →