Where does “spørsmålsteikn” come from?

spørsmålsteikn (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Norwegian Nynorsk teikn, from Old Norse teikn, from Proto-Germanic taikną, from Proto-Indo-European deyḱ- — to point out.

spørsmålsteikn (Norwegian Nynorsk): question mark

Definitions

  1. question mark

Ancestry of “spørsmålsteikn”, step by step

spørsmålsteikn traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Norwegian Nynorsk teikn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Nynorskteikna sign; a character
2Old Norseteikn—
3Proto-Germanictaiknąsign, token, symbol
4Proto-Indo-Europeandeyḱ-to point out

via Norwegian Nynorsk spørsmål

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Nynorskspørsmåla question
2Old Danishspørsmaal—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European deyḱ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic taikną →Every word from Old Norse teikn →