gull (Norwegian Nynorsk)
Where does "gull" come from?
The Norwegian word 'gull' traces its origins back to the Proto-Indo-European root '*ǵʰelh₃-', which described the colors green or yellow. This eventually evolved into the Proto-Germanic term '*gulþą' and the Old Norse 'gull', mirroring the path of the English word 'gold'. Over millennia, the term shifted from simply describing a vibrant yellow hue to identifying the precious metal itself.
Full etymology tree
- gull (Norwegian Nynorsk), 'gold'
- inherited gull (Old Norse), 'gold'
- inherited *gulþą (Proto-Germanic), 'gold'
- inherited *ǵʰĺ̥h₃-to-m (Pre-Germanic)
- derived *ǵʰelh₃- (Proto-Indo-European), 'green, yellow'
- inherited *ǵʰĺ̥h₃-to-m (Pre-Germanic)
- inherited *gulþą (Proto-Germanic), 'gold'
- inherited goll (Old Norse)
- inherited *gulþą (Proto-Germanic), 'gold'
- inherited *ǵʰĺ̥h₃-to-m (Pre-Germanic)
- derived *ǵʰelh₃- (Proto-Indo-European), 'green, yellow'
- inherited *ǵʰĺ̥h₃-to-m (Pre-Germanic)
- inherited *gulþą (Proto-Germanic), 'gold'
- inherited gull (Old Norse), 'gold'
Ancestors
- *ǵʰelh₃- (Proto-Indo-European)
- gull (Old Norse)
- *gulþą (Proto-Germanic)
Cognates and doublets
- gold (English)
Descendants and derived words
- bladgull (Norwegian Nynorsk)
- gullalder (Norwegian Nynorsk)
- gullbarre (Norwegian Nynorsk)
- gullbeslått (Norwegian Nynorsk)
- gullfisk (Norwegian Nynorsk)
- gullgraving (Norwegian Nynorsk)
- gullgruve (Norwegian Nynorsk)
- gullmedalje (Norwegian Nynorsk)
- gullrush (Norwegian Nynorsk)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris