Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tan” come from?

Tan comes from French tan, from Gaulish tanno-, from Latin tannum, from Proto-Indo-European teh₂-.

tan (English): A yellowish-brown colour; A darkening of the skin...

Definitions

  1. A yellowish-brown colour; A darkening of the skin...

Ancestry of “tan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchtanpulped oak bark used in the tanning process
2Frenchtayour
3Old Frenchtayour
4Latintuainflection of tuus: ## nominative/vocative...
5Latintuusyour
6Russianтузace; bigwig; two-oar dinghy
7Polishtuzace; luminary, person of importance in their...
8Polishtuhere
9Polishbyćto be
10Polishmócto be able; may, might; to be allowed
11Old Polishmóc—
12Proto-Slavicmoťьpower
13Proto-Indo-Europeanmógʰtis—
14Proto-Indo-Europeanmeǵʰ-—

Words derived from “tan”

  • tanning
  • suntan
  • tannage
  • arctan
  • tanbark
  • tanyard
  • tannish
  • tawn
  • untannable
  • tannable
  • tanling
  • overtan
  • tannability
  • tanaholic
  • permatan
  • tani
  • tano
  • tanagar
Every word from Proto-Indo-European meǵʰ- →