vatn
/ˈvahtn/
noun
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*watōr — water
Overview
Meaning Now
- water
- a lake or body of water
Literal older meaning
water
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Proto-Germanic → Old Norse → Icelandic
Earliest form
vatn
Earliest period
8th century
Journey
The word is a cognate to English 'water', German 'Wasser', and Gothic 'wato'. It remains a core lexical item in North Germanic languages, retaining its original meaning while also developing specific topographical senses in various dialects.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*wódr̥
“water”
- Proto-Germanic
*watōr
“water”
- Old Norse
vatn
“water”
Connections
Word parts
vatn
root
water
Related across languages
English
water
German
Wasser
water
Swedish
vatten
water
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Related to vatn
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.