Etymology

Stockholm

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Today it means: To suffer from Stockholm syndrome; to form an emotional bond or identification with one's captor or oppressor, also, to form such a bond with one's victim. Full definition →

Swedish Stockholm ← Old Swedish holmber ← Old Norse holmr
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)teyg-
  2. Proto-Germanic*stikaną
  3. Proto-Germanic*stukkaz
  4. Old Norsestokkr
  5. Old Swedishstokker
  6. Swedishstock
  7. Proto-Indo-European*kelH-?
  8. Proto-Indo-European*kl̥Hmos
  9. Proto-Germanic*hulmaz
  10. Old Norseholmr
  11. Old Swedishholmber
  12. Swedishholme
  13. SwedishStockholm
  14. English todayStockholm

From Swedish Stockholm, compound of stock (“log”) + holme (“islet”), possibly referring to logs put outside of the Stockholm shores to prevent ships from invading.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.