Where does “brunbjørn” come from?

brunbjørn (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Norwegian Bokmål brun, from Old Norse brúnn, from Proto-Germanic brūnaz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰerH- — to pierce; to strike; brown.

brunbjørn (Norwegian Bokmål): a brown bear

Definitions

  1. a brown bear

Ancestry of “brunbjørn”, step by step

brunbjørn traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Norwegian Bokmål brun

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Bokmålbrunbrown
2Old Norsebrúnnbrown; bright; a black horse
3Proto-Germanicbrūnazbrown
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanbʰerH-to pierce; to strike; brown

via Norwegian Bokmål bjørn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Bokmålbjørna bear
2Old NorseBjǫrnbear (animal)
3Proto-Germanicbernuzbear
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰerH- →Every word from Proto-Germanic brūnaz →Every word from Old Norse brúnn →