Where does “Orkneyjar” come from?

Orkneyjar (Old Norse) comes from Old Norse ey, from Proto-Norse *ᚨᚢᛃᚢ, from Proto-Germanic awjō, from Proto-Germanic agwjō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ — water.

Orkneyjar (Old Norse): the Orkney Islands

Definitions

  1. the Orkney Islands

Ancestry of “Orkneyjar”, step by step

Orkneyjar traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Norse ey

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norseeyalways, ever; island
2Proto-Norse*ᚨᚢᛃᚢ—
3Proto-Germanicawjōfloodplain; meadow; island
4Proto-Germanicagwjō—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water

via Proto-Celtic ɸorkos

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Celticɸorkospork, piglet
2Proto-Indo-Europeanpórḱospiglet
3Proto-Indo-Europeanperḱ-colored; motley; to open, rip up
4Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “Orkneyjar”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ →Every word from Proto-Germanic agwjō →Every word from Proto-Germanic awjō →