Where does “etterforsker” come from?

etterforsker (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Norwegian Bokmål etter, from Old Norse ettir, from Proto-Germanic aftiri, from Proto-Indo-European h₂epoteros — further behind, further away.

etterforsker (Norwegian Bokmål): an investigator; present of etterforske

Definitions

  1. an investigator; present of etterforske

Ancestry of “etterforsker”, step by step

etterforsker traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Norwegian Bokmål etter

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Bokmåletterafter
2Old Norseettir—
3Proto-Germanicaftirimore aft, further behind
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂epoterosfurther behind, further away

via Norwegian Bokmål forsker

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Bokmålforskera researcher
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂epoteros →Every word from Proto-Germanic aftiri →Every word from Old Norse ettir →