Where does “skyttargrav” come from?

skyttargrav (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Norwegian Nynorsk grav, from Old Norse grǫf, from Proto-Germanic grabą, from Proto-Indo-European gʰrābʰ- — to dig, scratch, scrape.

skyttargrav (Norwegian Nynorsk): trench

Definitions

  1. trench

Ancestry of “skyttargrav”, step by step

skyttargrav traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Norwegian Nynorsk grav

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Nynorskgrava grave
2Old Norsegrǫfpit, pothole, grave
3Proto-Germanicgrabągrave
4Proto-Indo-Europeangʰrābʰ-to dig, scratch, scrape

via Norwegian Nynorsk skyttar

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Nynorskskyttarshooter
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰrābʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic grabą →Every word from Old Norse grǫf →