Etymology Explorer › Swedish

Where does “Vintergatan” come from?

Vintergatan (Swedish) comes from Swedish gata, from Old Swedish gata, from Old Norse gáta, from Proto-Germanic gatwǭ, from Proto-Indo-European gʰodweh₂.

Ancestry of “Vintergatan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishgatastreet
2Old Swedishgatastreet, road
3Old Norsegátariddle
4Proto-Germanicgatwǭstreet, passage
5Proto-Indo-Europeangʰodweh₂—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰodweh₂ →