Where does “haunt” come from?
Haunt derives from Middle English haunten, from Old French hanter, from Old English hāmettan.
haunt (English): To inhabit, or visit frequently; To make uneasy,...
Definitions
- To inhabit, or visit frequently; To make uneasy,...
Ancestry of “haunt”, step by step
haunt traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English haunten
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | haunten | to reside, inhabit, use, employ |
| 2 | Old French | hanter | to frequent, abide in one place; to frequent... |
| 3 | Old English | hāmettan | to bring home; provide a home for; house; to... |
| 4 | Old English | hām | home; village, community; village, hamlet, manor,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | haim | home |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | haimaz | home; house; village |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóymos | of the home, belonging to the family; village,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱey- | to be lying down; to settle |