Where does “Vanessa” come from?
Vanessa (English) 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.
Vanessa (English): Any butterfly of the genus Vanessa
Definitions
- Any butterfly of the genus Vanessa
Ancestry of “Vanessa”, step by step
Vanessa traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch van
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | van | of; by, of; from |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | van | of; from; out of |
| 3 | Old Dutch | fān | off, from |
| 4 | Old Saxon | fāhan | to seize |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fanhaną | to take, to seize; to capture, to catch |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₂ḱ- | to join, to attach; agreement, settlement |
via English essa
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | essa | The origin of the name is unexplained |