Where does “matvara” come from?
matvara (Icelandic) comes from Icelandic vara, from Old Norse vara, from Middle Low German ware, from Old Saxon wār, from Proto-West Germanic wār, from Proto-Germanic wēraz, from Proto-Indo-European wiHrós, from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- — to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute.
matvara (Icelandic): food
Ancestry of “matvara”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Icelandic | vara | article, commodity; goods, wares, freight,... |
| 2 | Old Norse | vara | to ware, watch out, defend |
| 3 | Middle Low German | ware | — |
| 4 | Old Saxon | wār | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | wār | true, reliable |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | wēraz | true; reliable; friendly; kind |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wiHrós | man; husband; warrior, hero |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | weyh₁- | to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute |