Where does “kraken” come from?
kraken (Norwegian) comes from Norwegian krake, from Esperanto kraki, from English crack, from Middle English crak, from Old Norse kráka, from Proto-Germanic *krakǭ, from Proto-Germanic krakōną, from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- — to grow old, to mature.
Ancestry of “kraken”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Norwegian | krake | sea monster |
| 2 | Esperanto | kraki | to crack, crackle |
| 3 | English | crack | To form cracks; To break apart under pressure; To... |
| 4 | Middle English | crak | loud conversation, bragging talk |
| 5 | Old Norse | kráka | crow |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *krakǭ | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | krakōną | to crack; crackle; shriek |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵerh₂- | to grow old, to mature |
Words derived from “kraken”