Where does “rostbiff” come from?

rostbiff (Swedish) comes from English roast beef, from English beef, from Middle English bef, from Old French buef, from Latin bōs, from Ancient Greek βοῦς, from Latin corvus, from Proto-Italic korwos — army.

rostbiff (Swedish): roast beef

Definitions

  1. roast beef

Ancestry of “rostbiff”, step by step

rostbiff traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English roast beef

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishroast beefBeef cooked by roasting; A cut of beef that has...
2EnglishbeefThe meat from a cow, bull, or other bovine; A...
3Middle Englishbefbeef; cow flesh or meat; A bovine or its carcass
4Old Frenchbuefcow
5Latinbōshead of cattle (cow, bull, steer, or ox)
6Ancient Greekβοῦςcow, ox, cattle; shield: ὃτι ἐκ βοείων ἐστι...
7LatincorvusA raven; a bird associated with prophecy and...
8Proto-Italickorwos
9Proto-Indo-Europeanḱorh₂wós
10Proto-Indo-Europeanḱer-to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,...
11Proto-Indo-Europeankr̥-to turn, to bend
12Proto-Indo-Europeanker-army

via Swedish rösta

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishröstato vote
2Swedishröstvoice; vote
3Germanrōstroofing frame
4Middle High Germanrōst
5Old High Germanrōst
6Old Frenchrostirto roast; to torture by subjecting to fire
7Frankishrōstjanto roast
8Proto-Germanicraustijanąto roast
9Proto-Indo-European*Hrews-

via Swedish biff

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishbiffa steak, a beefsteak
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ker-