Where does “gøy” come from?

gøy (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from English Guy, from Old French Gui, from Old High German Wido, from Proto-Germanic widuz, from Proto-Indo-European widʰu- — forest, wood; tree, beam.

gøy (Norwegian Nynorsk): fun; to bark

Definitions

  1. fun; to bark

Ancestry of “gøy”, step by step

gøy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Guy

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishGuyAn effigy of Guy Fawkes burned on Bonfire Night
2Old FrenchGui—
3Old High GermanWido—
4Proto-Germanicwiduzwood
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwidʰu-forest, wood; tree, beam

via Old Norse geyja

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsegeyjato bark
2Proto-Germanic*gawjanąto bark
Every word from Proto-Indo-European widʰu- →Every word from Proto-Germanic widuz →Every word from Old High German Wido →