Where does “tjänstekvinna” come from?
tjänstekvinna (Swedish) comes from Swedish kvinna, from Old Norse kvæna, from Old Norse kván, from Proto-Germanic kwēniz, from Proto-Indo-European gʷḗn, from Proto-Indo-European gʷen- — woman.
tjänstekvinna (Swedish): a maid, a female servant
Ancestry of “tjänstekvinna”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Swedish | kvinna | a woman |
| 2 | Old Norse | kvæna | to make marry a woman; to take a wife |
| 3 | Old Norse | kván | wife |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | kwēniz | wife |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷḗn | woman |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷen- | woman |