Where does “nykel” come from?
nykel (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Middle Norwegian nykill, from Old Norse lykill, from Old Norse lúka, from Proto-Germanic lūkaną, from Proto-Indo-European lewǵ- — to break, tear; to break, shatter.
nykel (Norwegian Nynorsk): key
Ancestry of “nykel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle Norwegian | nykill | key |
| 2 | Old Norse | lykill | key |
| 3 | Old Norse | lúka | to shut; to end, bring to an end, finish,... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | lūkaną | to close, to shut; Alternative form of *leukaną |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | lewǵ- | to break, tear; to break, shatter |