kengr (Old Norse)

Where does "kengr" come from?

The Old Norse noun 'kengr', meaning 'a horseshoe-formed crook' or 'bend, bight', descends from Proto-Germanic '*kengaz'[1]. This Germanic term traces back to '*keng-', meaning 'to turn', which itself has an unknown origin[1]. Scholars have proposed a further connection to the Proto-Indo-European root '*gengʰ-', meaning 'to turn, twist, braid, weave'[1]. Related descendants include Middle Low German 'kinke' denoting a spiral snail shell or twist in a rope, as well as Dutch 'kink' and English 'kink'[1].

Open questions

• The ultimate origin of the Proto-Germanic root is unknown, with a proposed connection to Proto-Indo-European remaining uncertain. [1]

Full etymology tree

• kengr (Old Norse), 'a horseshoe-formed crook'
  • inherited *kengaz (Proto-Germanic)
    • derived *keng- (Proto-Germanic)
      • derived *gengʰ- (Proto-Indo-European)

Cognates and doublets

• kink (Dutch)
• kink (English)

Descendants and derived words

• kengur (Icelandic)

Sources

1. kengr (Old Norse) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris