Sweden
/ˈswiːdən/noun
A country in northern Europe, occupying the eastern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula.
Did you know?The English name Sweden comes through Old English and Old Norse from the tribal name *Svíar*, not from a mystical meaning—but it preserves the memory of a people whose name became a nation.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*Sweoniz / *Swēþuz?
“Reconstructed ethnonym for the people later known as the Swedes”
Old Norse
ON
Svíar
“The Swedes, the people of Sweden”
Old English
OE
Sweoðeod
“The Swedish people; literally 'Swedish nation'”
Late Old English / Middle English
English
Sweden
“The country of the Swedes”
Modern English
English
Sweden
“The modern country name”