fem (Norwegian Nynorsk)
Where does "fem" come from?
The Norwegian word 'fem' traces its roots back to the Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷe, a number likely linked to the concepts of the hand, fist, or fingers. This ancient term evolved into the Proto-Germanic *fimf and eventually became the Old Norse 'fimm'. Over time, this evolved into the modern Norwegian 'fem', maintaining its original meaning of five.
Full etymology tree
- fem (Norwegian Nynorsk), 'five'
- inherited fimm (Old Norse), 'five'
- inherited *fimf (Proto-Germanic), 'five'
- inherited *pémpe (Pre-Germanic)
- inherited *pénkʷe (Proto-Indo-European), 'five'
- inherited *pémpe (Pre-Germanic)
- inherited *fimf (Proto-Germanic), 'five'
- inherited fimm (Old Norse), 'five'
Ancestors
- fimm (Old Norse)
Descendants and derived words
- femdel (Norwegian Nynorsk)
- femkamp (Norwegian Nynorsk)
- femkant (Norwegian Nynorsk)
- tjuefem (Norwegian Nynorsk)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris