Where does “póstmaður” come from?
póstmaður (Icelandic) comes from Icelandic póstur, from Danish post, from Middle Low German post, from Middle French poste, from Italian posta, from Latin probāre, from Latin probō, from Latin Probus — passed , crossed.
póstmaður (Icelandic): mailman, postman
Definitions
- mailman, postman
Ancestry of “póstmaður”, step by step
póstmaður traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Icelandic póstur
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Icelandic | póstur | post, mail; postal service; postman |
| 2 | Danish | post | post; post, mail; postman |
| 3 | Middle Low German | post | — |
| 4 | Middle French | poste | — |
| 5 | Italian | posta | mail, post; post office; stakes |
| 6 | Latin | probāre | — |
| 7 | Latin | probō | to approve, permit, commend |
| 8 | Latin | Probus | good, serviceable, excellent, superior, able |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pro-bhwo- | being in front, prominent |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |