Etymology Explorer › Northern Sami

Where does “Västerbotten” come from?

Västerbotten (Northern Sami) comes from Swedish Västerbotten, from Swedish botten, from Old Swedish butn, from Old Norse botn, from Proto-Germanic butmaz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰudʰmḗn, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- — smoke; mist, haze.

Ancestry of “Västerbotten”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1SwedishVästerbotten—
2Swedishbottenbottom
3Old Swedishbutn—
4Old Norsebotnbottom
5Proto-Germanicbutmazbottom; foundation; ground; abyss
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰudʰmḗnbottom
7Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewbʰ-deep
8Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →