Where does “Sovjetunionen” come from?
Sovjetunionen (Swedish) comes from Swedish sovjet, from Russian сове́т, from Old Church Slavonic съвѣтъ, from Proto-Slavic sъvětъ, from Proto-Slavic větъ, from Proto-Indo-European weyt-, from Proto-Indo-European wéy-, from Proto-Indo-European éǵh₂ — I.
Ancestry of “Sovjetunionen”, step by step
Sovjetunionen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Swedish sovjet
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swedish | sovjet | a soviet, a council; a citizen of the Soviet... |
| 2 | Russian | сове́т | counsel/council; council, board; soviet; Soviet |
| 3 | Old Church Slavonic | съвѣтъ | advice; counsel |
| 4 | Proto-Slavic | sъvětъ | advice, counsel |
| 5 | Proto-Slavic | větъ | talk, agreement |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | weyt- | that which winds or bends, branch, switch;... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wéy- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | éǵh₂ | I |
via Swedish union
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swedish | union | union a body with many members |
| 2 | Late Latin | unio | oneness, unity; a unity, union; the number one,... |
| 3 | Latin | ūniō | a unity, union |
| 4 | Latin | -iō | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -jō | Forms agent nouns from verbs |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 8 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |