Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “beacon” come from?

Beacon comes from Middle English beken, from Old English bēacn, from Proto-Germanic baukną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰeh₂-.

beacon (English): A signal fire to notify of the approach of an...

Definitions

  1. A signal fire to notify of the approach of an...

Ancestry of “beacon”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishbekenA fire that signals an impending attack or...
2Old Englishbēacnsign, signal
3Proto-West Germanicbauknsign, symbol
4Proto-Germanicbauknąsign, symbol
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰeh₂u-to be, become

Words derived from “beacon”

  • beaconless
  • beaconlike
  • beaconage
  • Beaconite
  • aerobeacon
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰeh₂u- →