Where does “knygnešys” come from?

knygnešys (Lithuanian) comes from Lithuanian knygà, from Russian кни́га, from Proto-Slavic kъňiga, from Old High German kenning — symbol, sign.

knygnešys (Lithuanian): book distributor; book smuggler

Definitions

  1. book distributor; book smuggler

Ancestry of “knygnešys”, step by step

knygnešys traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Lithuanian knygà

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Lithuanianknygàbook
2Russianкни́гаbook
3Proto-Slavickъňigabook
4Old High Germankenningsymbol, sign

via Lithuanian nèšti

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Lithuaniannèštito carry, bring
Every word from Old High German kenning →Every word from Proto-Slavic kъňiga →Every word from Russian кни́га →