Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fawn” come from?

Fawn comes from Middle English fawnen, from Old French faon, from Vulgar Latin feto, from Latin fetus meaning offspring or young animal, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁(y)-.

fawn (English): A young deer; A pale brown colour tinted with...

Definitions

  1. A young deer; A pale brown colour tinted with...

Ancestry of “fawn”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishfawnenTo express affection; To express affection...
2Old EnglishfagnianAlternative form of fæġnian

Words derived from “fawn”

  • fawning
  • fawningly
  • fawnskin
  • fawner
  • fawnlike
  • fawny
  • fawnish
  • fawneth
  • fawnest
  • overfawn
  • fawningness
  • fawnling
  • outfawn
Every word from Old English fagnian →