Where does “jólaköttur” come from?

jólaköttur (Icelandic) comes from Icelandic köttur, from Old Norse kǫttr, from Proto-Germanic kattuz, from Latin cattus, from Latin catta — a cat.

jólaköttur (Icelandic): the Yule cat; a monster known for eating children...

Definitions

  1. the Yule cat; a monster known for eating children...

Ancestry of “jólaköttur”, step by step

jólaköttur traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Icelandic köttur

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Icelandicköttura cat
2Old Norsekǫttrcat
3Proto-Germanickattuzcat
4Latincattusa cat
5Latincattaa cat

via Icelandic jól

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1IcelandicjólChristmas, Noel; Yule
2Old Norsejólyule, midwinter season
3Proto-Germanicjehwląfestivity, celebration; Yule
4Proto-Indo-Europeanyekə-joke, play
Every word from Latin catta →Every word from Latin cattus →Every word from Proto-Germanic kattuz →