Where does “gråsparv” come from?
gråsparv (Swedish) comes from Swedish sparv, from Old Swedish sparver, from Middle English sperver, from Old French esprevier, from Old Dutch *sparwari, from Proto-Germanic sparwaraz, from Proto-Germanic arô, from Proto-Indo-European er- — eagle, bird; loose, light, rare, sparse; to fail,...
gråsparv (Swedish): house sparrow, Passer domesticus
Definitions
- house sparrow, Passer domesticus
Ancestry of “gråsparv”, step by step
gråsparv traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Swedish sparv
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swedish | sparv | a sparrow; most commonly the house sparrow (gråsparv, Passer domesticus), but including various species of small birds in the families sparrows (sparvfinkar, Passeridae) and buntings (fältsparvar, Emberizidae), all in the order Passeriformes (tättingar) |
| 2 | Old Swedish | sparver | — |
| 3 | Middle English | sperver | sparrowhawk |
| 4 | Old French | esprevier | sparrowhawk |
| 5 | Old Dutch | *sparwari | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | sparwaraz | sparrow-hawk |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | arô | eagle |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | er- | eagle, bird; loose, light, rare, sparse; to fail,... |