Etymology Explorer › Swedish

Where does “brevkniv” come from?

brevkniv (Swedish) comes from Swedish brev, from Old Norse bréf, from Latin breve, from Latin brevis, from Proto-Italic *breɣʷis, from Proto-Indo-European mréǵʰus, from Proto-Indo-European mreǵʰ- — short.

brevkniv (Swedish): a paperknife, a letter opener

Definitions

  1. a paperknife, a letter opener

Ancestry of “brevkniv”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishbrevletter; written note; parcel within certain size...
2Old Norsebréf—
3Latinbrevenominative neuter singular of brevis; accusative...
4Latinbrevisshort, small, little, narrow; brief, short;...
5Proto-Italic*breɣʷis—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmréǵʰusshort; brief
7Proto-Indo-Europeanmreǵʰ-short
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mreǵʰ- →