Etymograph

English

torsk

Torsk comes from Swedish torsk ‘cod, codfish’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ters- ‘to dry’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ters-1‘to dry’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*þurskaz2‘cod’reconstructed
  3. Old Norsec. 800–1350þorskr2‘cod’
  4. Old Swedishmodernþorsker2
  5. Swedishmoderntorsk3‘cod, codfish’
  6. Englishtodaytorsk3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *þurskaz
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Swedish torsk
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English torsk

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ters-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *þurskaz‘to dry’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*þurskazWiktionary, Swedish torsk‘cod’reconstructed
  3. Old Norsec. 800–1350þorskrWiktionary, Swedish torsk‘cod’
  4. Old SwedishmodernþorskerWiktionary, Swedish torsk
  5. SwedishmoderntorskWiktionary, English torsk‘cod, codfish’
  6. EnglishtodaytorskWiktionary, English torsk

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ters- ‘to dry’

test, territory, inter, terrain, terrace, toast, territorial, terrestrial, terra, thirst, terrier, torrent, fossa, fosse, terroir, torrid, terrine, 41 more

Today it means

noun An edible fish, Brosme brosme.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “torsk”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *þurskaz, Swedish torsk. 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 *ters- / torsk

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