Where does “smalamaður” come from?
smalamaður (Icelandic) comes from Icelandic smali, from Old Norse smali, from Old Norse smalr, from Proto-Germanic smalaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)mal- — small; little.
smalamaður (Icelandic): shepherd
Ancestry of “smalamaður”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Icelandic | smali | livestock; herder, herdsman; someone who gathers... |
| 2 | Old Norse | smali | livestock |
| 3 | Old Norse | smalr | small |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | smalaz | small |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)mal- | small; little |