Etymograph

English

Nordic

Nordic comes from French nordique ‘northern’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *nér ‘below the surface, below’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*nér‘below the surface, below’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*nŕ̥t(e)rosreconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nurþraz‘north, northern’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*norþr‘northern, northernly’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150norþ‘north’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400nort(h)
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentnord‘north’
  8. French, derivedc. 1600–presentnordique‘northern’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 2007Nordic

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*nér‘below the surface, below’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*nŕ̥t(e)rosreconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nurþraz‘north, northern’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*norþr‘northern, northernly’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150norþ‘north’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400nort(h)
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentnord‘north’
  8. French, derivedc. 1600–presentnordique‘northern’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 2007Nordic

Earliest quotation: 2007, Erich Goode, D. Angus Vail: “Called “Nordics,” the aliens are human-like in appearance, of…”

Linked words

through Proto-Germanic *nurþraz ‘north, northern’

northern, 3 more

through Old English norþ ‘north’

north, 2 more

Today it means

adj Of or relating to the Nordic countries.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *nér / Nordic

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