Where does “taken” come from?

Taken comes from Old English tacen, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European roots deyḱ- and deh₁g-, which carried senses related to pointing or showing.

taken (English): Infatuated; fond of or attracted to; In a serious...

Definitions

  1. Infatuated; fond of or attracted to; In a serious...

Ancestry of “taken”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtakento take; Alternative form of token; Alternative...
2Old Englishtācen—
3Old Norsetekinnpast participle of taka; take, took, taken
4Proto-Germanictēkanaz—
5Proto-Germanictēkanąto touch; to grasp
6Proto-Indo-Europeandeh₁g-to touch

Words derived from “taken”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European deh₁g- →Every word from Proto-Germanic tēkaną →Every word from Proto-Germanic tēkanaz →