Where does “viska” come from?

viska (Icelandic) comes from Proto-Germanic wiskijaną, from Proto-Germanic -janą, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti, from Proto-Indo-European yé-, from Chichewa iye — he, she.

viska (Icelandic): wisdom; used in set phrases

Definitions

  1. wisdom; used in set phrases

Ancestry of “viska”, step by step

viska traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Proto-Germanic wiskijaną

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicwiskijanąto sweep; to sweep away, to clean; to erase
2Proto-Germanic-janąDerives denominatives from nouns and factitives...
3Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
5Chichewaiyehe, she

via Old Norse vizka

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsevizka
Every word from Chichewa iyeEvery word from Proto-Germanic -janąEvery word from Proto-Indo-European -yéti