Where does “fen” come from?
Fen derives from English fan, which comes from English fanatic, ultimately tracing through Latin vannus, Latin fanum, Latin -icus, Proto-Indo-European -kos, Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁-, and Proto-Indo-European -tós.
fen (English): A type of wetland fed by ground water and runoff,...
Definitions
- A type of wetland fed by ground water and runoff,...
Ancestry of “fen”, step by step
fen traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English fen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | fen | fen, bog, swamp; dirt, muddiness; dung, feces |
| 2 | Old English | fenn | mud; fen, marsh |
| 3 | Old English | tūn | enclosure, yard; place; dwelling |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 6 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |
via English fennec
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | fennec | A small fox of the species "Vulpes zerda", found... |
| 2 | French | fennec | fennec |
| 3 | Arabic | فَنَك | fennec fox |
via Chinese 分
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chinese | 分 | fen; to divide; to split |