Where does “ten” come from?

ten (Danish) comes from Old Norse teinn, from Proto-Germanic tainaz, from Proto-Indo-European doynos.

ten (Danish): a spindle; a rod or stick used together with a distaff to spin yarn

Definitions

  1. a spindle; a rod or stick used together with a distaff to spin yarn

Ancestry of “ten”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norseteinntwig; sprout
2Proto-Germanictainazrod; twig; straw; lot
3Proto-Indo-Europeandoynos—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European doynos →Every word from Proto-Germanic tainaz →Every word from Old Norse teinn →
ten — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer