Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “nanny” come from?

nanny (English) comes from English Nan, from English nana, from English banana, from Spanish banana, from Portuguese banana, from Wolof banaana — banana.

Ancestry of “nanny”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishNan—
2Englishnanaa banana; a fool; one's grandmother
3EnglishbananaAn elongated curved tropical fruit that grows in...
4Spanishbananabanana
5Portuguesebananabanana; penis; bras d'honneur
6Wolofbanaanabanana

Words derived from “nanny”

  • Nanny
  • Nanny
Every word from Wolof banaana →