Where does “svartmåla” come from?

svartmåla (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.

svartmåla (Swedish): paint a black picture, take a gloomy view, blackwash

Definitions

  1. paint a black picture, take a gloomy view, blackwash

Ancestry of “svartmåla”, step by step

svartmåla traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Swedish måla

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishmålato paint; to score
2Old Swedishmālato paint
3Old Norsemálato grind
4Middle Low Germanmālento draw, paint; to paint
5Old Saxon*mālōn—
6Proto-West Germanic*mālēnto paint
7Proto-Albanianmelanablack
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmelh₂-n-dull black
9Proto-Indo-Europeanmelh₂-to grind, to crush
10Proto-Indo-Europeanmel-soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub
11Proto-Indo-Europeanmey-to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange

via Swedish svart

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishsvartblack; illegal; in avoidance of taxes
2Old Swedishsvarterblack
3Old Norsesvartrblack
4Proto-Germanicswartazblack
5Proto-Indo-Europeanswordo-dirty, dark, black

Words derived from “svartmåla”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European mey- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European mel- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European melh₂- →