Where does “ween” come from?
Ween comes from Middle English wenen, from Old English wānian, from Proto-Germanic wainōną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots including wen-, weǵʰ-, and wenh₁-.
ween (English): Doubt; conjecture; To suppose, imagine; to think,...
Definitions
- Doubt; conjecture; To suppose, imagine; to think,...
Ancestry of “ween”, step by step
ween traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English wiener
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wiener | A sausage made from beef, chicken or pork; A... |
| 2 | English | wienerwurst | Vienna sausage |
| 3 | German | Wienerwurst | Alternative form of Wiener Wurst; Viennese... |
| 4 | German | wiener | of Vienna |
| 5 | German | Wien | Vienna |
| 6 | Middle High German | Wienne | — |
| 7 | Old High German | Wienna | — |
| 8 | Latin | Vedunia | — |
| 9 | Proto-Celtic | widus | wood, trees |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁weydʰh₁- | to separate, divide |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | dwi- | two; apart, asunder |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | dwóh₁ | two |
via Middle English wenen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | wenen | — |
| 2 | Old English | wēnan | to think (be of a certain opinion) |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | wēnijaną | to hope, to expect; to believe, to imagine |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | -janą | Derives denominatives from nouns and factitives... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 7 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |