Where does “sätta hårt mot hårt” come from?

sätta hårt mot hårt (Swedish) comes from Swedish sätta, from Old Swedish sætia, from Old Norse setja, from Proto-Germanic satjaną, from Proto-Indo-European sodéyeti, from Proto-Indo-European -éyeti, from Proto-Indo-European -yeti — Creates transitive imperfective verbs from roots.

sätta hårt mot hårt (Swedish): to respond to a forceful (unfriendly) action with a forceful counteraction, (sometimes) to play hardball, to fight fire with fire

Definitions

  1. to respond to a forceful (unfriendly) action with a forceful counteraction, (sometimes) to play hardball, to fight fire with fire

Ancestry of “sätta hårt mot hårt”, step by step

sätta hårt mot hårt traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Swedish sätta

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishsättato sit; to move oneself into a sitting position;...
2Old Swedishsætiato set, to place; to let sit
3Old Norsesetjato seat, set, place, put; to drive; to make,...
4Proto-Germanicsatjanąto set, to place down
5Proto-Indo-Europeansodéyetito set, to seat, to cause to sit
6Proto-Indo-European-éyetiForms causative imperfective verbs from roots;...
7Proto-Indo-European-yetiCreates transitive imperfective verbs from roots

via Swedish mot

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishmotinterchange; a large junction where two or more...
2Old Norsemótmeeting; town-meeting; joint, juncture
3Proto-Germanicmōtąmeeting
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmeh₂d-to be wet, to become wet; to meet, approach,...

via Swedish hårt

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishhårtin a hard manner; inflexibly, unyieldingly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yeti