nystan

The noun ending -n was added in the 16th or 17th century. The older noun is the same as the verb, nysta. It might be related to Icelandic hnoða and hnúðr, English knit, and Ancient Greek κνύθος (knúthos).

nystan n

1. a ball (of yarn or string), a skein

• garnnystan
• nysta
• nystvinda
• snörnystan

• “nystan”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “nystan”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “nystan”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• nystan in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)