Where does “ø” come from?
ø (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Norwegian Bokmål øst, from Danish øst, from Danish øster, from Old Norse austr, from Proto-Germanic austrą, from Proto-Germanic austraz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwsteros — in the direction of dawn, east.
ø (Norwegian Bokmål): The lowercase form of Ø, the twenty-eighth letter of the Norwegian Bokmål alphabet, written in the Latin script and placed between æ and å
Definitions
- The lowercase form of Ø, the twenty-eighth letter of the Norwegian Bokmål alphabet, written in the Latin script and placed between æ and å
Ancestry of “ø”, step by step
ø traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Norwegian Bokmål øst
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norwegian Bokmål | øst | east; past participle of øse |
| 2 | Danish | øst | east; east, eastwards; past participle of øse |
| 3 | Danish | øster | — |
| 4 | Old Norse | austr | east |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | austrą | east; east, eastward |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | austraz | east, eastern |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | *h₂éwsteros | in the direction of dawn, east |