Where does “fenman” come from?
fenman (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.
fenman (English): A inhabitant of the fens
Definitions
- A inhabitant of the fens
Ancestry of “fenman”, step by step
fenman 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 MAN
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | MAN | Initialism of Metropolitan Area Network |
| 2 | English | manual | A handbook; A booklet that instructs on the usage... |
| 3 | Middle English | manuel | — |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | manuel | manual; done with the hands; handle; manual;... |
| 5 | Old French | manual | — |
| 6 | Latin | manuālis | hand |
| 7 | Latin | manus | hand; bravery, valor; violence, fighting |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | manus | hand |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | man- | human being; man; hand |