Where does “snøleopard” come from?

snøleopard (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Norwegian Nynorsk snø, from Old Norse snær, from Proto-Germanic snaiwaz, from Proto-Indo-European snóygʷʰos, from Proto-Indo-European sneygʷʰ- — to snow.

snøleopard (Norwegian Nynorsk): a snow leopard

Definitions

  1. a snow leopard

Ancestry of “snøleopard”, step by step

snøleopard traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Norwegian Nynorsk snø

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Nynorsksnøsnow; to snow
2Old Norsesnærsnow
3Proto-Germanicsnaiwazsnow
4Proto-Indo-Europeansnóygʷʰossnow
5Proto-Indo-Europeansneygʷʰ-to snow

via Norwegian Nynorsk leopard

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Nynorskleoparda leopard
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sneygʷʰ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European snóygʷʰos →Every word from Proto-Germanic snaiwaz →