Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Burn” come from?

Burn (English) comes from Middle English brennen, from Old Norse brenna, from Proto-Germanic brannijaną, from Proto-Germanic -janą, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti, from Proto-Indo-European yé-, from Chichewa iye — he, she.

Ancestry of “Burn”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbrennento burn
2Old Norsebrennato burn with a flame; to be consumed by fire;...
3Proto-Germanicbrannijanąto cause to burn, to set on fire
4Proto-Germanic-janąDerives denominatives from nouns and factitives...
5Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
7Chichewaiyehe, she
Every word from Chichewa iye →