Where does “skälva” come from?

skälva (Swedish) comes from Old Swedish skiælva, from Old Norse skjálfa, from Proto-Germanic skelbaną — to shiver, tremble.

skälva (Swedish): great fear (that makes one tremble), especially in the expression "stora skälvan" (the great fear)

Definitions

  1. great fear (that makes one tremble), especially in the expression "stora skälvan" (the great fear)

Ancestry of “skälva”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Swedishskiælvato shiver, tremble
2Old Norseskjálfashiver, shake, quiver
3Proto-Germanicskelbanąto shiver, tremble

Words derived from “skälva”

Every word from Proto-Germanic skelbaną →Every word from Old Norse skjálfa →Every word from Old Swedish skiælva →
skälva — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer