ni (Norwegian Nynorsk)
Where does "ni" come from?
The Norwegian Nynorsk word 'ni' descends from the Old Norse 'níu', tracing its roots back to the Proto-Germanic word '*newun'. This ancient term ultimately finds its origins in the Proto-Indo-European '*h₁néwn̥', which serves as the common ancestor for 'nine' in languages across the Indo-European family.
Full etymology tree
- ni (Norwegian Nynorsk), 'nine'
- inherited niu (Old Norse)
- inherited *ᚾᛁᚢ (Proto-Norse), 'nine'
- inherited *newun (Proto-Germanic), 'nine'
- inherited *newunt (Proto-Germanic)
- influence *tehun (Proto-Germanic), 'ten'
- inherited *h₁néwn̥ (Proto-Indo-European), 'nine'
- derived *néwos (Proto-Indo-European), 'new'
- derived *h₁enu- (Proto-Indo-European)
- contraction *h₁new (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *newunt (Proto-Germanic)
- inherited *newun (Proto-Germanic), 'nine'
- inherited *ᚾᛁᚢ (Proto-Norse), 'nine'
- inherited niu (Old Norse)
Ancestors
- níu (Old Norse)
Descendants and derived words
- førtini (Norwegian Nynorsk)
- nittini (Norwegian Nynorsk)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris