Where does “postkontor” come from?
postkontor (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Norwegian Nynorsk kontor, from Danish kontor, from Middle Low German kontōr, from Middle Dutch cantoor, from Middle French contoir, from Middle French compter, from Old French compter, from Latin computāre — whale, sea monster; abyss.
postkontor (Norwegian Nynorsk): a post office
Definitions
- a post office
Ancestry of “postkontor”, step by step
postkontor traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Norwegian Nynorsk kontor
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norwegian Nynorsk | kontor | an office |
| 2 | Danish | kontor | office |
| 3 | Middle Low German | kontōr | commercial branch; writing room; counting desk |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | cantoor | — |
| 5 | Middle French | contoir | Alternative spelling of comptoir |
| 6 | Middle French | compter | to recount; to tell |
| 7 | Old French | compter | — |
| 8 | Latin | computāre | — |
| 9 | Latin | computō | to calculate, compute, reckon together |
| 10 | Latin | com- | allomorph of con- |
| 11 | Latin | con- | Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing... |
| 12 | Latin | cum | with, along with; at; -fold |
| 13 | Old Latin | com | Alternative form of cum |
| 14 | Proto-Italic | kom | with, along, at |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 16 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 17 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 18 | Russian | кит | whale; genitive plural of ки́та |
| 19 | Old Church Slavonic | китъ | whale |
| 20 | Ancient Greek | κῆτος | whale, sea monster; abyss |
via Norwegian Nynorsk post
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norwegian Nynorsk | post | post or mail |
| 2 | Italian | posta | mail, post; post office; stakes |
| 3 | Latin | probāre | — |
| 4 | Latin | probō | to approve, permit, commend |
| 5 | Latin | Probus | good, serviceable, excellent, superior, able |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pro-bhwo- | being in front, prominent |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |