gammr

Old Norse

Etymology

Unknown origin. Cognate with Middle High German gabilun, gampilŭn (in myth).

Perhaps from Romance, compare Spanish gavilán. Or perhaps related to már, from Proto-Germanic *maiwaz (“gull, seagull”), also of uncertain origin and possibly imitative. Connecting it to German Geier (“vulture; greedy person”) has been met with rejection.

Noun

gammr m

1. kind of big predatory bird, or mythical creature

Descendants

• Icelandic: gammur
• Norwegian: gamber
• Swedish: gam
• Danish: gam

Further reading

• gam in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
• Hellquist, Elof (1922) “gam”, in Svensk etymologisk ordbok [Swedish etymological dictionary]‎^[1] (in Swedish), Lund: C. W. K. Gleerups förlag