Where does “herramaður” come from?
herramaður (Icelandic) comes from Icelandic herra, from Old Norse herra, from Old Saxon hērro, from Old High German hērro, from Proto-Germanic hairaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱeh₃- — darkness, shadow.
herramaður (Icelandic): gentleman
Ancestry of “herramaður”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Icelandic | herra | lord, master; the Lord; an honorific title for a... |
| 2 | Old Norse | herra | mister, gentleman; sir; to confer with the title... |
| 3 | Old Saxon | hērro | — |
| 4 | Old High German | hērro | master; grey, grey-haired |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hairaz | grey; aged; old; lofty; distinguished |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ḱeh₃- | darkness, shadow |