Where does “skarfakál” come from?
skarfakál (Icelandic) comes from Icelandic kál, from Old Norse kál, from Old English cāwel, from Proto-West Germanic *kauli, from Latin caulis, from Ancient Greek καυλός, from Proto-Indo-European keh₂ulós.
skarfakál (Icelandic): scurvy-grass, Common Scurvygrass (Cochlearia officinalis)
Definitions
- scurvy-grass, Common Scurvygrass (Cochlearia officinalis)
Ancestry of “skarfakál”, step by step
skarfakál traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Icelandic kál
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Icelandic | kál | a plant of the genus "Brassica"; cabbage, kale,... |
| 2 | Old Norse | kál | cabbage, kale |
| 3 | Old English | cāwel | colewort |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *kauli | cabbage, colewort |
| 5 | Latin | caulis | dative plural of caulae; ablative plural of... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | καυλός | stem, stalk; shaft |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | keh₂ulós | — |
via Icelandic skarfur
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Icelandic | skarfur | cormorant; rascal, scoundrel; glutton |
| 2 | Old Norse | skarfr | cormorant, shag (bird of the family Phalacrocoracidae) |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | skarf- | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)gʷʰh₂el- | to stumble |