Where does “tomta” come from?
tomta (Swedish) comes from Swedish a, from Swedish avlopp, from Swedish lopp, from Swedish löpa, from Old Swedish løpa, from Old Norse hlaupa, from Proto-Germanic hlaupaną, from Proto-Indo-European klaup-.
tomta (Swedish): to play the role of Santa Claus in Christmas celebrations
Definitions
- to play the role of Santa Claus in Christmas celebrations
Ancestry of “tomta”, step by step
tomta traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Swedish a
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swedish | a | from |
| 2 | Swedish | avlopp | a drain; sewage |
| 3 | Swedish | lopp | a race (running competition or (in an extended sense) other speed competition, like in English) |
| 4 | Swedish | löpa | to run along, stretch; to run, to move quickly... |
| 5 | Old Swedish | løpa | to run |
| 6 | Old Norse | hlaupa | to leap, jump, spring |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | hlaupaną | to jump forward, to leap |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | klaup- | — |
via Swedish tomte
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swedish | tomte | A small human-like creature in Nordic folklore... |
| 2 | Swedish | tomt | a ground lot, a parcel (of land), that has had, currently has or in the future will have a house built on it. It especially refers either to the land that directly surrounds the house (not uncommonly fenced), even if the total estate might be much bigger, or a legally delineated lot in town-like env |
| 3 | Old Norse | toft | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | tumþiz | seemliness, agreement; association, guild,... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | dem- | to build; to arrange, to put together |