Where does “kærleker” come from?
kærleker (Old Swedish) comes from Old Norse kærleikr, from Old Norse leikr, from Middle Low German lek, from Latin lāicus, from Ancient Greek λαϊκός, from Ancient Greek λᾱός, from Proto-Hellenic lāwós, from Proto-Indo-European leh₂wos — to bark, howl; to be concealed.
Ancestry of “kærleker”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | kærleikr | friendly terms, intimacy |
| 2 | Old Norse | leikr | game; sport; contest |
| 3 | Middle Low German | lek | — |
| 4 | Latin | lāicus | lay (of the laity) |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | λαϊκός | of the people; popular |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | λᾱός | people; men; the people |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | lāwós | people, crowd |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | leh₂wos | people |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | leh₂- | to bark, howl; to be concealed |