Where does “rune” come from?

rune (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Danish rune, from Old Norse rún, from Proto-Norse ᚱᚢᚾᛟ, from Proto-Germanic rūnō, from Proto-Celtic rūnā — secret, mystery.

rune (Norwegian Nynorsk): rune a letter of runic alphabet

Definitions

  1. rune a letter of runic alphabet

Ancestry of “rune”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Danishrunerune
2Old Norserúnsecret; rune
3Proto-Norseᚱᚢᚾᛟsecret, mystery; rune
4Proto-Germanicrūnōsecret, mystery; rune
5Proto-Celticrūnāsecret, mystery
Every word from Proto-Celtic rūnā →Every word from Proto-Germanic rūnō →Every word from Proto-Norse ᚱᚢᚾᛟ →
rune — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer