Svalbard

The story

1. Old Norse · borrowed fromSvalbarð n
2. English todaySvalbard

Borrowed from Old Norse Svalbarð n probably through Norwegian. From svalr (“cool”) + barð (“edge, brim”), thus roughly meaning “cold shore”, probably alluding to the treeless landscape mostly covered with grass. The name was first attested in annales referring to year 1194, but it’s uncertain whether it referred to the modern archipelago. Cognate with Faroese Svalbarð, Icelandic Svalbarði and Norwegian Svalbard.