Where does “nøkkelhull” come from?
nøkkelhull (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Norwegian Bokmål nøkkel, from Middle Norwegian nykill, from Old Norse lykill, from Old Norse lúka, from Proto-Germanic lūkaną, from Proto-Indo-European lewǵ- — to break, tear; to break, shatter.
nøkkelhull (Norwegian Bokmål): a keyhole; a keyhole symbol
Definitions
- a keyhole; a keyhole symbol
Ancestry of “nøkkelhull”, step by step
nøkkelhull traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Norwegian Bokmål nøkkel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norwegian Bokmål | nøkkel | a key; a spanner or wrench |
| 2 | Middle Norwegian | nykill | key |
| 3 | Old Norse | lykill | key |
| 4 | Old Norse | lúka | to shut; to end, bring to an end, finish,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | lūkaną | to close, to shut; Alternative form of *leukaną |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lewǵ- | to break, tear; to break, shatter |