Where does “van” come from?

van (Afrikaans) comes from Dutch van, from Middle Dutch van, from Old Dutch fān, from Old Saxon fāhan, from Proto-Germanic fanhaną, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂ḱ- — to join, to attach; agreement, settlement.

van (Afrikaans): of; from; some of

Definitions

  1. of; from; some of

Ancestry of “van”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchvanof; by, of; from
2Middle Dutchvanof; from; out of
3Old Dutchfānoff, from
4Old Saxonfāhanto seize
5Proto-Germanicfanhanąto take, to seize; to capture, to catch
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₂ḱ-to join, to attach; agreement, settlement

Words derived from “van”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European peh₂ḱ- →