Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “queen-cage” come from?

queen-cage (English) comes from English Queen, from Middle English quene, from Old English cwene, from Old English cwēn, from Proto-West Germanic kwāni, from Proto-Germanic kwēniz, from Proto-Indo-European gʷḗn, from Proto-Indo-European gʷen- — woman.

queen-cage (English): A small case used to introduce and protect a new...

Definitions

  1. A small case used to introduce and protect a new...

Ancestry of “queen-cage”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishQueen—
2Middle EnglishqueneA queen; Any powerful woman noble; A female...
3Old Englishcwenea woman; inflection of cwēn: ##...
4Old Englishcwēnqueen; woman, wife, queen
5Proto-West Germanickwāniwoman, wife
6Proto-Germanickwēnizwife
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʷḗnwoman
8Proto-Indo-Europeangʷen-woman
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷen- →