Where does “isbjørn” come from?

isbjørn (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Norwegian Nynorsk is, from Old Norse íss, from Proto-Germanic īsą, from Proto-Indo-European h₁eyH- — ice, frost.

isbjørn (Norwegian Nynorsk): polar bear, "Ursus maritimus"

Definitions

  1. polar bear, "Ursus maritimus"

Ancestry of “isbjørn”, step by step

isbjørn traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Norwegian Nynorsk is

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Nynorskisice; ice cream
2Old Norseíssice
3Proto-Germanicīsąice
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁eyH-ice, frost

via Norwegian Nynorsk bjørn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Nynorskbjørna bear
2Old NorseBjǫrnbear (animal)
3Proto-Germanicbernuzbear
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁eyH- →Every word from Proto-Germanic īsą →Every word from Old Norse íss →