nykr

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *nikwiz-, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *nigʷ-, cognates with the German Nix, Nixe and Nixie from the Middle High German nickes, from Old High German nihhus (“water-elf, crocodile”). Cognate with Old English nicor (“water-elf, hippopotamus, walrus”) (English nicker) and Swedish Näcken.

Noun

nykr m (genitive nykrs, plural nykrar)

1. (mythology) a water-demon, the nixie, the nick; (mostly appearing as a grey horse-like creature with inverted hoofs and forward fetlocks that emerges from lakes)

Declension

  Declension of nykr (strong a-stem)

masculine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	nykr	nykrinn	nykrar	nykrarnir
accusative	nykr	nykrinn	nykra	nykrana
dative	nykri	nykrinum	nykrum	nykrunum
genitive	nykrs	nykrsins	nykra	nykranna

Descendants

• Icelandic: nykur
• Faroese: nykur
• Norwegian Bokmål: nøkk
• Norwegian Nynorsk: nykk
• Swedish: näck, Näcken
  • → Finnish: näkki
  • → Estonian: näkk
• Danish: nøkke