Where does “nøkk” come from?

nøkk (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Old Norse nykr, from Proto-Germanic nikwiz-, from Proto-Indo-European neygʷ- — to wash.

nøkk (Norwegian Bokmål): A nix, a nixie; a freshwater spirit in Germanic mythology, often associated with music

Definitions

  1. A nix, a nixie; a freshwater spirit in Germanic mythology, often associated with music

Ancestry of “nøkk”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsenykra water-demon, the nixie, the nick; mostly appearing as a grey horse-like creature with inverted hoofs and forward fetlocks that emerges from lakes
2Proto-Germanicnikwiz-—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanneygʷ-to wash
Every word from Proto-Indo-European neygʷ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic nikwiz- →Every word from Old Norse nykr →