Where does “fenland” come from?
fenland (English) comes from English fen, from Middle English fen, from Old English fenn, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną, from Gaulish dunum, from Proto-Celtic dūnom — smoke; mist, haze.
fenland (English): a kind of low-lying ground, often wet or marshy
Definitions
- a kind of low-lying ground, often wet or marshy
Ancestry of “fenland”, step by step
fenland traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English fen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | fen | A type of wetland fed by ground water and runoff,... |
| 2 | Middle English | fen | fen, bog, swamp; dirt, muddiness; dung, feces |
| 3 | Old English | fenn | mud; fen, marsh |
| 4 | Old English | tūn | enclosure, yard; place; dwelling |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 7 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 8 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |
via English land
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | land | The part of Earth which is not covered by oceans... |
| 2 | Middle English | lond | An independent nation, country or realm; A tribe,... |
| 3 | Old English | land | land; a country; region within a country:... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | land | land, area of ground |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | landą | land, area of ground |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lendʰ- | land, heath; loins |