Where does “hnúfubakur” come from?
hnúfubakur (Icelandic) comes from Icelandic bakur, from Northern Kurdish ba, from Proto-Iranian *HwáHatah, from Proto-Indo-Iranian HwáHatas, from Proto-Indo-European h₂wéh₁n̥ts, from Proto-Indo-European h₂wḗh₁ti, from Proto-Indo-European h₂weh₁- — to blow.
hnúfubakur (Icelandic): humpback whale
Ancestry of “hnúfubakur”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Icelandic | bakur | — |
| 2 | Northern Kurdish | ba | — |
| 3 | Proto-Iranian | *HwáHatah | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | HwáHatas | wind |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂wéh₁n̥ts | blowing; that which blows; the wind, air |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂wḗh₁ti | to blow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂weh₁- | to blow |