Inngangr

Inngangr is a masculine noun in Old Norse meaning "entrance" or "gateway." The term refers to the point of entry to a building, room, or place, and it can also be used in a broader, figurative sense to denote access or admission.

Etymology and form: inngangr is a compound built from the prefix in- or inn- meaning "into" or "in" and the noun gangr meaning "going, path, way." The construction is typical of Germanic languages, producing a word that designates the act or place of going in. The form reflects older inflectional patterns of Old Norse and has cognates in related languages.

Attestation and usage: Old Norse texts, including prose and poetry, attest inngangr as a concrete term for the entry to houses, chambers, fortifications, or settlements. It also appears in runic and medieval documentary contexts and participates in place-name formations that reference entrances or gates.

Modern descendants and cognates: The concept survives in modern Scandinavian languages in similar words for entrance. Icelandic retains inngangur, while Norwegian and Danish employ forms such as inngang or indgang. The Old Norse term thus provides a linguistic link to these contemporary words for entrances and doorways.

Significance: In linguistic and philological study, inngangr exemplifies the productive Old Norse practice of forming compound nouns with -gangr to denote pathways, thresholds, and entry points. It also illustrates how core spatial terms in the Germanic family have evolved into common terms in modern languages, retaining a stable core meaning over many centuries.