Where does “tuftekjerring” come from?
tuftekjerring (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Norwegian Nynorsk kjerring, from Old Norse kerling, from Old Norse Karl, from Proto-Norse ᚲᚨᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ, from Proto-Germanic karilaz, from Proto-Germanic karaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- — to grow old, to mature.
tuftekjerring (Norwegian Nynorsk): a female being that lives in (and guards) farmsteads
Definitions
- a female being that lives in (and guards) farmsteads
Ancestry of “tuftekjerring”, step by step
tuftekjerring traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Norwegian Nynorsk kjerring
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norwegian Nynorsk | kjerring | old woman; wife; girl, lady |
| 2 | Old Norse | kerling | woman, wife; old woman |
| 3 | Old Norse | Karl | man |
| 4 | Proto-Norse | ᚲᚨᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | karilaz | free man, franklin; little man, young man |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | karaz | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵerh₂- | to grow old, to mature |
via Norwegian Nynorsk tufte
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norwegian Nynorsk | tufte | a being that lives in (and guards) farmsteads, often thought to be the ancestor who cleared the land |
| 2 | Norwegian Nynorsk | tuft | homestead, ground where a house stands |
| 3 | Old Norse | tupt | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | tumþiz | seemliness, agreement; association, guild,... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | dem- | to build; to arrange, to put together |