Where does “Vegan” come from?
Vegan derives from English vegan, influenced by Italian -ana and Old Spanish vayca, ultimately from Latin -anus and Proto-Italic -os.
Vegan (English): Relating to Vega; Someone from Vega, which is...
Definitions
- Relating to Vega; Someone from Vega, which is...
Ancestry of “Vegan”, step by step
Vegan traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English vegetarian
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | vegetarian | A person who does not eat animal flesh, or, in... |
| 2 | English | vegetable | Any plant; A plant raised for some edible part of... |
| 3 | Middle English | vegetable | — |
| 4 | Old French | vegetable | — |
| 5 | Latin | vegetabilis | animating, enlivening, vivifying; able to produce... |
| 6 | Latin | vegeto | I arouse, enliven, quicken, animate, invigorate;... |
| 7 | Latin | vegetus | enlivened, lively, animated, vigorous, active,... |
| 8 | Latin | vegeo | I move, excite, quicken, arouse; I am lively or... |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | wegeō | to be active, lively |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | wegejō | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | woǵ-éye- | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | weǵ- | lively, awake; strong |