ein (Norwegian Nynorsk)
Where does "ein" come from?
The Norwegian Nynorsk word 'ein' traces its lineage back to the Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos, a term likely built upon a basic pronoun meaning 'he, she, or it.' It evolved into the Proto-Germanic *ainaz and subsequently into the Old Norse 'einn' before arriving at its modern form. This long historical path reveals 'ein' as a direct linguistic cousin to the English word 'one'.
Full etymology tree
- ein (Norwegian Nynorsk), 'one (cardinal number 1)'
- inherited einn (Old Norse), 'one'
- inherited *ainaz (Proto-Germanic), 'one'
- inherited *h₁óynos (Proto-Indo-European), 'one'
- derived *éy- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *h₁óynos (Proto-Indo-European), 'one'
- inherited *ainaz (Proto-Germanic), 'one'
- inherited einn (Old Norse), 'one'
Ancestors
- einn (Old Norse)
- *ainaz (Proto-Germanic)
- *h₁óynos (Proto-Indo-European)
Cognates and doublets
- one (English)
Descendants and derived words
- eindimensjonal (Norwegian Nynorsk)
- einføtt (Norwegian Nynorsk)
- einstøing (Norwegian Nynorsk)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris