Etymograph

English

skyr

Skyr comes from Old Norse skyr ‘thick curdled milk’, from skera ‘to divide’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to cut’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-1‘to cut’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skeraną2‘to shear’reconstructed
  3. Old Norsec. 800–1350skera3‘to divide’
  4. Old Norsec. 800–1350skyr3‘thick curdled milk’literally ‘separated’
  5. Icelandicmodernskyr4
  6. Englishtodayskyr4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *skeraną, which cites Kroonen
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Old Norse skera
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Icelandic skyr
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English skyr

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *skeraną, which cites Kroonen‘to cut’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skeranąWiktionary, Old Norse skera‘to shear’reconstructed
  3. Old Norsec. 800–1350skeraWiktionary, Icelandic skyr‘to divide’
  4. Old Norsec. 800–1350skyrWiktionary, Icelandic skyr‘thick curdled milk’literally ‘separated’
  5. IcelandicmodernskyrWiktionary, English skyr
  6. EnglishtodayskyrWiktionary, English skyr

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to cut’

short, across, share, card, cross, cancer, screen, score, shirt, circle, circuit, crucial, curve, scare, circus, circulation, carnival, curb, scar, cancellation, scrutiny, shrine, crest, skirt, circa, corona, scorpion, incarceration, shred, carnage, raffle, circulate, carcinoma, corolla, shrewd, crux, shard, carnal, cirque, riddance, 115 more

through Proto-Germanic *skeraną ‘to shear’

shear, scorn, 3 more

through Old Norse skera ‘to divide’

scarf

Today it means

noun A yogurt-like product made of curdled milk, curds stored up for food; a thick dairy product unique to Icelandic cuisine.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “skyr”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *skeraną, Old Norse skera, Icelandic skyr. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- / skyr

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