Where does “byting” come from?

byting (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Swedish byta, from Old Norse býta, from Middle Low German bûten — to plunder.

byting (Norwegian Nynorsk): a changeling (a child of the Subterraneans that was secretly exchanged for a human child)

Definitions

  1. a changeling (a child of the Subterraneans that was secretly exchanged for a human child)

Ancestry of “byting”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishbytato switch; to exchange; to switch; to change...
2Old Norsebýta—
3Middle Low Germanbûtento plunder
Every word from Middle Low German bûten →Every word from Old Norse býta →Every word from Swedish byta →
byting — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer