Where does “chin” come from?

Chin comes from Old English cin, from Proto-Germanic kinnuz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵénu-, meaning jaw or chin.

chin (English): The bottom of a face, the typically jutting...

Definitions

  1. The bottom of a face, the typically jutting...

Ancestry of “chin”, step by step

chin traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English chyn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishchynThe chin or jawline; The bone composing the chin;...
2Old Englishċinnchin
3Proto-West Germanickinnuchin, jaw
4Proto-Germanickinnuzcheek; chin, jaw
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵénu-jaw, cheek, chin; cheek

via English chinchilla

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishchinchillaEither of two small, crepuscular rodents of the...
2Spanishchinchillachinchilla

via Burmese ချင်း

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Burmeseချင်းginger; to penetrate; to go through
2Proto-Sino-Tibetankjaŋginger

Words derived from “chin”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵénu- →Every word from Proto-Germanic kinnuz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic kinnu →