Where does “nisse” come from?
nisse (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Danish nisse, from Danish Niels, from Latin Nīcolāus, from Ancient Greek Νικόλαος, from Ancient Greek λᾱός, from Proto-Hellenic lāwós, from Proto-Indo-European leh₂wos, from Proto-Indo-European leh₂- — to bark, howl; to be concealed.
Ancestry of “nisse”, step by step
nisse traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Danish nisse
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danish | nisse | A small mythological being living in farmsteads;... |
| 2 | Danish | Niels | Nicholas |
| 3 | Latin | Nīcolāus | — |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | Νικόλαος | Nicolas |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | λᾱός | people; men; the people |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | lāwós | people, crowd |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | leh₂wos | people |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | leh₂- | to bark, howl; to be concealed |