Where does “skönmåla” come from?
skönmåla (Swedish) comes from Swedish måla, from Old Swedish māla, from Old Norse mála, from Middle Low German mālen, from Old Saxon *mālōn, from Proto-West Germanic *mālēn, from Proto-Albanian melana, from Proto-Indo-European melh₂-n- — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.
skönmåla (Swedish): pussyfoot, whitewash, sugarcoat
Definitions
- pussyfoot, whitewash, sugarcoat
Ancestry of “skönmåla”, step by step
skönmåla traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Swedish måla
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swedish | måla | to paint; to score |
| 2 | Old Swedish | māla | to paint |
| 3 | Old Norse | mála | to grind |
| 4 | Middle Low German | mālen | to draw, paint; to paint |
| 5 | Old Saxon | *mālōn | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | *mālēn | to paint |
| 7 | Proto-Albanian | melana | black |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂-n- | dull black |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |
via Swedish skön
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swedish | skön | beautiful, fair; comfortable; liking, preference,... |
| 2 | Old Swedish | skön | — |
| 3 | Middle Low German | schö̂ne | fine flour bread |
| 4 | Old Saxon | skōni | shiny, beautiful |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | skaunī | beautiful |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | skaunį̄ | niceness, beauty |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -į̄ | -th |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -íh₂ | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -h₂ | Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups... |