Where does “tomtefar” come from?
tomtefar (Swedish) comes from Swedish får, from Old Swedish fār, from Old Norse fár, from Proto-Germanic farą, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.
tomtefar (Swedish): an (older) male tomte (type of brownie or gnome from Nordic folklore), in modern times usually in reference to Father Christmas (Santa Claus)
Definitions
- an (older) male tomte (type of brownie or gnome from Nordic folklore), in modern times usually in reference to Father Christmas (Santa Claus)
Ancestry of “tomtefar”, step by step
tomtefar traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Swedish får
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swedish | får | a sheep; a sheep, a follower; an idiot |
| 2 | Old Swedish | fār | sheep |
| 3 | Old Norse | fár | few; bale, harm, mischief, anger; dangerous... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | farą | a means of passing, ford, ferry |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
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 |