norway

/ˈnɔː.weɪ/·noun·medieval·Established

Origin

Norway is from Old Norse 'Norðvegr' — 'the north way' — describing the sea-route Vikings sailed along the coast.‍‌‍‌‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‍‍ Old English used 'Norþweg.' The country was named for its shipping lane.

Definition

A Northern European country occupying the western and northern coasts of the Scandinavian Peninsula.‍‌‍‌‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‍‍

Did you know?

Norway is a road, not a place. The name is Old Norse 'Norðvegr,' the north way — the long sea-route the Vikings sailed between the islands and the mainland. The country was named after its shipping lane.

Relatednorse gale sweden viking

Etymology

Old Norse / Old Englishmedievalwell-attested

The English 'Norway' is a translation of Old Norse 'Norðvegr,' meaning literally 'the north way' or 'the northern route,' from 'norðr' (north) plus 'vegr' (way, route). The name describes the long sea-route the Vikings sailed up the Norwegian coast — the northward shipping lane between the islands and the mainland. Old English used 'Norþweg' for the same idea. The Norwegians' own name for their country is 'Norge' or 'Noreg,' from the same Old Norse compound contracted over centuries. So Norway, like a Roman road, is named for the way through it. Key roots: *nurþraz (Proto-Germanic: "north"), *wegaz (Proto-Germanic: "way, path").

Ancient Roots

*nurþraz (Proto-Germanic: “north”)*wegaz (Proto-Germanic: “way, path”)

This Word in Other Languages

Norge(Norwegian)Norðvegr(Old Norse)Norwegen(German)

Norway traces back to Proto-Germanic *nurþraz, meaning "north", with related forms in Proto-Germanic *wegaz ("way, path"). Across languages it shares form or sense with Norwegian Norge, Old Norse Norðvegr and German Norwegen, evidence of a shared etymological family.

Connections

norse

shared root *nurþrazrelated word

gale

also from Old Norse / Old English

norge

Norwegian

norðvegr

Old Norse

norwegen

German

Background

The Etymology of Norway

Norway is one of the more transparent Germanic place-names.‍‌‍‌‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‍‍ Old Norse 'Norðvegr' is a compound of 'norðr' (north) and 'vegr' (way, route), and it described the long northward shipping lane that ran between the offshore islands and the western coast of Scandinavia — the route Viking sailors took to and from their northern settlements. Old English already had the same compound as 'Norþweg' by the 9th century. The name ran in parallel with three sister-routes: 'Suðrvegr' (south way, used for southern lands), 'Vestrvegr' (west way, the route to the British Isles), and 'Austrvegr' (east way, the route to Russia). Of those four 'Vegr' names, only 'Norðvegr' survived as the name of an actual country. Norwegians themselves call their country 'Norge' or 'Noreg' — the same Old Norse compound, contracted by centuries of use.

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