Where does “hnefatafl” come from?
hnefatafl (Old Norse) comes from Old Norse tafl, from Proto-West Germanic *tabulā, from Latin tabula, from Proto-Italic *taðlā — board.
Ancestry of “hnefatafl”, step by step
hnefatafl traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old Norse tafl
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | tafl | any of a class of ancient Northern European... |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | *tabulā | table |
| 3 | Latin | tabula | tablet, sometimes a tablet covered with wax for... |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | *taðlā | board |
via Old Norse hnefi
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | hnefi | — |