Etymology Explorer › Norwegian

Where does “Nisse” come from?

Nisse (Norwegian) comes from Danish nisse, from Danish Niels, from Latin Nīcolāus, from Ancient Greek Νικόλαος, from Ancient Greek λᾱός, from Proto-Hellenic lāwós, from Proto-Indo-European leh₂wos, from Proto-Indo-European leh₂- — to bark, howl; to be concealed.

Ancestry of “Nisse”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1DanishnisseA small mythological being living in farmsteads;...
2DanishNielsNicholas
3LatinNīcolāus—
4Ancient GreekΝικόλαοςNicolas
5Ancient Greekλᾱόςpeople; men; the people
6Proto-Helleniclāwós—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanleh₂wospeople
8Proto-Indo-Europeanleh₂-to bark, howl; to be concealed

Words derived from “Nisse”

  • nisse
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leh₂- →