English
jotun
Jotun comes from Old Norse jǫtunn ‘a jotun, ettin, giant’, from Proto-Germanic *etaną ‘to eat’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁ed-‘to eat’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁édti‘to eat’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*etaną‘to eat’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*etunaz‘giant’reconstructed
- Proto-Norsec. 200–800 CE*etunaʀtransliteratedrunes *ᛖᛏᚢᚾᚨᛉ‘giant’reconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350jǫtunn‘a jotun, ettin, giant’
- Englishearliest quotation 1831jotun
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁ed-‘to eat’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁édti‘to eat’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*etaną‘to eat’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*etunaz‘giant’reconstructed
- Proto-Norsec. 200–800 CE*etunaʀtransliteratedrunes *ᛖᛏᚢᚾᚨᛉ‘giant’reconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350jǫtunn‘a jotun, ettin, giant’
- Englishearliest quotation 1831jotun
Earliest quotation: 1831, Walter Savage Landor, Gunlaug: “Some with disdain his reasons heard, / While others…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed- ‘to eat’
eating, anna, ana, fret, anodyne, esca, 19 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁édti ‘to eat’
obesity, edible, phage, 10 more
through Proto-Germanic *etaną ‘to eat’
through Proto-Germanic *etunaz ‘giant’
Today it means
noun A member of a race of giants who usually stand in opposition to the Æsir and especially to Thor.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed- / jotun