Where does “tomtegröt” come from?
tomtegröt (Swedish) comes from Swedish gröt, from Old Swedish grøter, from Old Norse grautr, from Proto-Germanic grautaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰer- — to yearn for; to enclose; bowels, intestines.
Ancestry of “tomtegröt”, step by step
tomtegröt traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Swedish gröt
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swedish | gröt | porridge |
| 2 | Old Swedish | grøter | — |
| 3 | Old Norse | grautr | porridge |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | grautaz | coarse, crude; big, large |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰer- | to yearn for; to enclose; bowels, intestines |
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 |