Where does “ark” come from?
ark (Old Danish) comes from Old Norse ǫrk, from Proto-Norse ᚨᚱᚲᚢ, from Latin arca, from Latin arceo, from Proto-Italic arkeō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂erk- — to protect, guard, hold, lock.
Ancestry of “ark”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | ǫrk | chest |
| 2 | Proto-Norse | ᚨᚱᚲᚢ | — |
| 3 | Latin | arca | chest, box, coffer, safe; coffin; ark |
| 4 | Latin | arceo | I shut up, enclose; box in; I keep off, ward off;... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | arkeō | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂erk- | to protect, guard, hold, lock |