Where does “kempa” come from?
kempa (Icelandic) comes from Old Norse kempa, from Old English cempa, from Proto-West Germanic kampijō, from Proto-West Germanic kampijan, from Latin campus, from Proto-Indo-European kh₂emp-, from Proto-Indo-European kh₂em- — to bend, to curve.
kempa (Icelandic): hero, warrior
Ancestry of “kempa”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | kempa | giant |
| 2 | Old English | cempa | soldier, warrior; champion |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | kampijō | combat soldier |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | kampijan | to battle; to campaign |
| 5 | Latin | campus | Open flat level ground: a plain, a natural field;... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂emp- | to bend; crooked; to bend, curve |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂em- | to bend, to curve |