Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Galen” come from?

Galen derives from Ancient Greek Γαληνός, from Ancient Greek γαλήνη meaning calm or tranquility, originally denoting peaceful conditions.

Ancestry of “Galen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishgalento cry out
2Old Englishgalanto sing; enchant; to cry, call, scream; to cast...
3Proto-West Germanicgalanto sing
4Proto-Germanicgalanąto shout, yell; to charm, sing
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰel-to shine, glimmer, glow; to shimmer, gleam;...

Words derived from “Galen”

  • Galenic
  • Galenism
  • Galenian
  • Galenically
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰel- →