Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “heaven” come from?

Heaven comes from Middle English heven, from Old English habban, from Proto-Germanic habjaną, from Proto-Indo-European keh₂p-, meaning to grasp or seize.

heaven (English): The sky, "specifically"; The abode of God or the...

Definitions

  1. The sky, "specifically"; The abode of God or the...

Ancestry of “heaven”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishhevene—
2Old Englishheofonthe sky; heaven; the power of heaven
3Proto-West Germanichebunsky; heaven

Words derived from “heaven”

  • heavenward
  • heavenwards
  • Nevaeh
  • midheaven
  • heavenlike
  • heavenless
  • heavenful
  • heavenhood
  • heavenize
  • cyberheaven
  • heven
Every word from Proto-West Germanic hebun →