Where does “spørsmålstegn” come from?
spørsmålstegn (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Norwegian Bokmål tegn, from Danish tegn, from Old Danish thæghæn, from Old Norse þegn, from Proto-Germanic þegnaz, from Proto-Indo-European teḱ- — to sire, beget.
spørsmålstegn (Norwegian Bokmål): a question mark
Ancestry of “spørsmålstegn”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Norwegian Bokmål | tegn | a sign; a character; imperative of tegne |
| 2 | Danish | tegn | sign; token; character |
| 3 | Old Danish | thæghæn | — |
| 4 | Old Norse | þegn | thane, franklin, freeman, man; a good man;... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | þegnaz | retainer, servant |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | teḱ- | to sire, beget |