Where does “kärling” come from?

kärling (Old Swedish) comes from Old Norse kerling, from Old Norse Karl, from Proto-Norse ᚲᚨᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ, from Proto-Germanic karilaz, from Proto-Germanic karaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- — to grow old, to mature.

Ancestry of “kärling”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsekerlingwoman, wife; old woman
2Old NorseKarlman
3Proto-Norseᚲᚨᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ—
4Proto-Germanickarilazfree man, franklin; little man, young man
5Proto-Germanickaraz—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵerh₂-to grow old, to mature

Words derived from “kärling”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- →Every word from Proto-Germanic karaz →Every word from Proto-Germanic karilaz →