Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Eton” come from?

Eton derives from Old English Eatun, from Old English ea meaning water or river, from Proto-West Germanic ahu, from Proto-Germanic ahwō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ekʷeh₂.

Ancestry of “Eton”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old EnglishEatun—
2Old Englisheariver; running water, stream
3Proto-West Germanicahuriver
4Proto-Germanicahwōwater; stream, river
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water

Words derived from “Eton”

  • Etonian
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ →