Where does “tvättbjörn” come from?
tvättbjörn (Swedish) comes from Swedish tvätta, from Old Norse þváttr, from Proto-Germanic þwahtuz, from Proto-Germanic -þuz, from Proto-Indo-European -tus — Derives action nouns from verb roots.
tvättbjörn (Swedish): raccoon
Ancestry of “tvättbjörn”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Swedish | tvätta | to wash; wash; to clean oneself |
| 2 | Old Norse | þváttr | the act of washing, laundry, washing |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | þwahtuz | washing, laundry |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | -þuz | Forms result nouns from verb roots, usually from... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -tus | Derives action nouns from verb roots |