Etymology Explorer › Russian

Where does “варяг” come from?

варяг (Russian) comes from Old East Slavic варѧгъ, from Old Norse væringi, from Old Norse várr, from Proto-Germanic waraz, from Proto-Iranian warājáh, from Proto-Indo-Iranian warāȷ́ʰás — boar.

Ancestry of “варяг”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old East Slavicварѧгъ—
2Old Norseværingi—
3Old Norsevárrour
4Proto-Germanicwarazcautious; heedful; wary; watchful
5Proto-Iranianwarājáhwild boar
6Proto-Indo-Iranianwarāȷ́ʰásboar

Words derived from “варяг”

  • վարյագ
  • վարյագական
Every word from Proto-Indo-Iranian warāȷ́ʰás →