Skien

See also: skien and skiën

Norwegian Bokmål

A view of the channel boats, Henrik Ibsen and Victoria, in the harbour of Skien, Norway.

Etymology

From Old Norse Skiða (“Skien”), perhaps originally the name of a river in the area, derived from the word skiða (“straight plank”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²ʃeːn̩/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eːn̩
• Hyphenation: Ski‧en
• Homophone: skjeen

Proper noun

Skien

1. Skien (a municipality and city in Vestfold og Telemark, Eastern Norway, Norway)

Derived terms

• skienenser
• Skienselva
• skienskvinne
• skiensmann
• Skiensvassdraget

 

References

• “Skien” in Store norske leksikon

Anagrams

• kisen, kneis, knise, ksien, nikse, siken, sinke, skein, skien, sneik, snike

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• Skida (Norwegianised form)
• Schieen, Scheen (obsolete, Germanised spellings)

Etymology

Danicised form of a Norwegian Skìda; from Old Norse Skiða, likely from a river name derived from skíða (“piece of split wood; plank”), which may refer to a straight river course. It can also come from a related strong verb (*skíða < *skīþaną) and mean “the splitting (river)”. This would also explain the short vowel, cf. skriða f from skríða. Whether the Old Norse form was Skiða or Skíða is unclear, but the modern pronunciation with /e/ suggests the first.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²ʂeː.ən/, [ˈʂêː.ə̌n], [ˈʃêː.ə̌n], (occasionally outside of Skien) /²ʂi.ən/
• Hyphenation: Skì‧en

Proper noun

Skien

1. Skien (a city and municipality of Grenland district, Telemark, Norway)

Derived terms

• Skienselva
• skiensmann
• skienskvinne

Related terms

• ski (“ski”)
• skie (“piece of split wood; plank”)