Where does “flatfisk” come from?

flatfisk (Swedish) comes from Swedish fisk, from Old Swedish fisker, from Old Norse fiskr, from Proto-Germanic fiskaz, from Indo-European *peysk-.

Ancestry of “flatfisk”, step by step

flatfisk traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Swedish fisk

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishfiskfish
2Old Swedishfiskerfish
3Old Norsefiskra fish
4Proto-Germanicfiskazfish
5Indo-European*peysk-—

via Swedish flat

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishflatflat; spineless, being a doormat, abstaining from...
2Old Norseflatrflat, level; flat, prostrate
3Proto-Germanicflatazflat
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanplÁt-—
Every word from Indo-European *peysk- →Every word from Proto-Germanic fiskaz →Every word from Old Norse fiskr →