Where does “isbjørn” come from?

isbjørn (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Norwegian Bokmål is, from Old Norse íss, from Proto-Germanic īsą, from Proto-Indo-European h₁eyH- — ice, frost.

isbjørn (Norwegian Bokmål): polar bear

Definitions

  1. polar bear

Ancestry of “isbjørn”, step by step

isbjørn traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Norwegian Bokmål is

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Bokmålisice, ice cream; ice cream on a stick or cone
2Old Norseíssice
3Proto-Germanicīsąice
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁eyH-ice, frost

via Norwegian Bokmål bjørn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Bokmålbjørna bear
2Old NorseBjǫrnbear (animal)
3Proto-Germanicbernuzbear
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁eyH- →Every word from Proto-Germanic īsą →Every word from Old Norse íss →