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.

Vintergatan (Swedish): The Milky Way

Definitions

  1. The Milky Way

Ancestry of “Vintergatan”, step by step

Vintergatan traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Swedish gata

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishgatastreet
2Old Swedishgatastreet, road
3Old Norsegátariddle
4Proto-Germanicgatwǭstreet, passage
5Proto-Indo-Europeangʰodweh₂—

via Swedish vinter

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishvinterwinter; the coldest of the four seasons; either...
2Old Swedishvinterwinter
3Old Norsevintrwinter
4Proto-Germanicwintruzwinter
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰodweh₂ →Every word from Proto-Germanic gatwǭ →Every word from Old Norse gáta →