Where does “småtärna” come from?
småtärna (Swedish) comes from Swedish små, from Polish smar, from Middle High German smër, from Old High German smero, from Proto-West Germanic *smeru, from Proto-Germanic smerwą, from Proto-Celtic smérus, from Proto-Indo-European smérus — to fall into thought, remember, care for; to fall...
småtärna (Swedish): a little tern (Sternula albifrons)
Definitions
- a little tern (Sternula albifrons)
Ancestry of “småtärna”, step by step
småtärna traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Swedish små
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swedish | små | |
| 2 | Polish | smar | grease, lubricant |
| 3 | Middle High German | smër | — |
| 4 | Old High German | smero | fat |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *smeru | grease, butter, fat |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | smerwą | grease, butter, fat |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | smérus | marrow |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | smérus | grease |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | smer- | to fall into thought, remember, care for; to fall... |
via Swedish tärna
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swedish | tärna | a bridesmaid; a tern; to cut into cubes |
| 2 | Swedish | a | from |
| 3 | Swedish | avlopp | a drain; sewage |
| 4 | Swedish | lopp | a race (running competition or (in an extended sense) other speed competition, like in English) |
| 5 | Swedish | löpa | to run along, stretch; to run, to move quickly... |
| 6 | Old Swedish | løpa | to run |
| 7 | Old Norse | hlaupa | to leap, jump, spring |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | hlaupaną | to jump forward, to leap |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | klaup- | — |