Where does “gråsäl” come from?

gråsäl (Swedish) comes from Swedish grå, from Old Norse grár, from Proto-Germanic grēwaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰreh₁- — to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow.

gråsäl (Swedish): grey seal (Halichoerus grypus)

Definitions

  1. grey seal (Halichoerus grypus)

Ancestry of “gråsäl”, step by step

gråsäl traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Swedish grå

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishgrågrey; boring, dull; with a boring appearance
2Old Norsegrárgrey; spiteful
3Proto-Germanicgrēwazgrey
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰreh₁-to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow

via Swedish säl

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishsäla seal
2Old Norseselrseal; second-person singular present indicative...
3Proto-Germanicselhazseal
4Proto-Indo-Europeanselk-to pull, drag; to drag, to furrow; to pull, draw
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰreh₁- →Every word from Proto-Germanic grēwaz →Every word from Old Norse grár →