Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “wan-” come from?

wan- (English) comes from Middle English wan-, from Old English wan-, from Proto-Germanic wana-, from Proto-Germanic wanaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₁weh₂- — to leave, abandon, give out.

wan- (English): Preceding nouns and adjectives with the sense...

Definitions

  1. Preceding nouns and adjectives with the sense...

Ancestry of “wan-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwan-not, un-, mis-
2Old Englishwan-lacking, without; un-
3Proto-Germanicwana-—
4Proto-Germanicwanazlacking, deficient, absent; accustomed
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁weh₂-to leave, abandon, give out

Words derived from “wan-”

  • wanchancy
  • wanchance
  • wanfortune
  • wanrufe
  • wanweird
  • wanrestful
  • wanthriven
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁weh₂- →