skien

Danicised form of a Norwegian Skìda; from Old Norse Skiða, likely from a river name derived from skíða (“piece of split wood; plank”), which may refer to a straight river course. It can also come from a related strong verb (*skíða < *skīþaną) and mean “the splitting (river)”. This would also explain the short vowel, cf. skriða f from skríða. Whether the Old Norse form was Skiða or Skíða is unclear, but the modern pronunciation with /e/ suggests the first.