Where does “onkel” come from?
onkel (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from French oncle, from Middle French oncle, from Old French oncle, from Vulgar Latin aunclum, from Latin avunculus, from Proto-Indo-European h₂éwh₂os — maternal grandfather; maternal uncle.
onkel (Norwegian Bokmål): an uncle; the police
Ancestry of “onkel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | oncle | uncle |
| 2 | Middle French | oncle | uncle |
| 3 | Old French | oncle | uncle |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | aunclum | — |
| 5 | Latin | avunculus | maternal uncle, mother's brother; mother's... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂éwh₂os | maternal grandfather; maternal uncle |
Words derived from “onkel”