Where does “kärlek” come from?
kärlek (Swedish) comes from Old Swedish kærleker, from Old Norse kærleikr, from Old Norse leikr, from Middle Low German lek, from Latin lāicus, from Ancient Greek λαϊκός, from Ancient Greek λᾱός, from Proto-Hellenic lāwós — to bark, howl; to be concealed.
kärlek (Swedish): love; a love, a darling, a romance
Definitions
- love; a love, a darling, a romance
Ancestry of “kärlek”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Swedish | kærleker | — |
| 2 | Old Norse | kærleikr | friendly terms, intimacy |
| 3 | Old Norse | leikr | game; sport; contest |
| 4 | Middle Low German | lek | — |
| 5 | Latin | lāicus | lay (of the laity) |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | λαϊκός | of the people; popular |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | λᾱός | people; men; the people |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | lāwós | people, crowd |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | leh₂wos | people |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | leh₂- | to bark, howl; to be concealed |