fem (Swedish)
Where does "fem" come from?
The Swedish word 'fem' originates from the Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷe, a root that likely referred to the entire hand or 'fist' of five fingers. This term evolved into the Proto-Germanic *fimf before passing through Old Norse as 'fimm'. Over millennia, it has consistently served as the foundation for the number five across various Germanic languages.
Full etymology tree
- fem (Swedish), 'five'
- inherited fimm (Old Norse), 'five'
- inherited *fimf (Proto-Germanic), 'five'
- inherited *pémpe (Pre-Germanic)
- inherited *pénkʷe (Proto-Indo-European), 'five'
- derived *pn̥kʷ-sti-s (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *penkʷ-ró-s (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *penkʷ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'fist ?'
- derived *ponkʷ-to- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *pénkʷe (Proto-Indo-European), 'five'
- inherited *pémpe (Pre-Germanic)
- inherited *fimf (Proto-Germanic), 'five'
- inherited fimm (Old Norse), 'five'
Ancestors
- fimm (Old Norse)
- *fimf (Proto-Germanic)
- *pénkʷe (Proto-Indo-European)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris