Etymology Explorer › Norwegian Nynorsk

Where does “rein” come from?

rein (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Old Norse hreinn, from Proto-Germanic hrainiz, from Proto-Indo-European króy-n-is, from Proto-Indo-European krey- — to sift, separate, divide.

rein (Norwegian Nynorsk): clean; pure; a reindeer, Rangifer tarandus

Definitions

  1. clean; pure; a reindeer, Rangifer tarandus

Ancestry of “rein”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsehreinnreindeer; clean; bright
2Proto-Germanichrainizclean, not dirty; pure; innocent
3Proto-Indo-Europeankróy-n-is—
4Proto-Indo-Europeankrey-to sift, separate, divide

Words derived from “rein”

  • reinkalv
  • svalbardrein
  • reinsdyr
  • reine
  • reindrift
Every word from Proto-Indo-European krey- →