papir (Danish)
Where does "papir" come from?
The Danish word 'papir' was borrowed from the Middle Low German 'papir' or 'pappir', which traces back to Old French 'papier'[1]. Old French had borrowed the term from Old Catalan 'paper', attested around 1308[2] after Catalan speakers adapted Latin 'papyrus' following their capture of the paper mill in Xàtiva[3]. The Latin noun came from Ancient Greek 'pápuros'[4], an ancient term used for the papyrus plant and writing material whose ultimate origin remains unknown[5].
Open questions
- The ultimate origin of Ancient Greek 'pápuros' is uncertain; while an Egyptian source is often conjectured because of the material's origin, no Egyptian cognate has been identified, and a Pre-Greek suffix has also been suggested. [5]
Full etymology tree
- papir (Danish), 'paper'
- borrowed papir (Middle Low German)
- derived papier (Old French), 'reed, rush'
- borrowed paper (Old Catalan), 'paper (sheet material typically used for writing on or printing)'
- semi-learned borrowing papyrus (Latin), 'papyrus (plant)'
- borrowed πάπυρος (pápuros) (Ancient Greek), 'paper'
- suffix -er (Old Catalan)
- semi-learned borrowing papyrus (Latin), 'papyrus (plant)'
- borrowed paper (Old Catalan), 'paper (sheet material typically used for writing on or printing)'
- derived papier (Old French), 'reed, rush'
- borrowed papir (Middle Low German)
Ancestors
- papier (Old French)
Descendants and derived words
- papirfly (Danish)
- pappír (Faroese)
Sources
- papir (Danish) - Wiktionary
- papier (Old French) - Wiktionary
- paper (Old Catalan) - Wiktionary
- papyrus (Latin) - Wiktionary
- πάπυρος (pápuros) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris