Where does “whiten” come from?

Whiten comes from Middle English whitenen, from Old Norse hvítna, from Proto-Germanic hwītnōną, from Proto-Indo-European kwind-.

whiten (English): to become white or whiter; to bleach or blanch

Definitions

  1. to become white or whiter; to bleach or blanch

Ancestry of “whiten”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwhitenen—
2Old Norsehvítnato whiten
3Proto-Germanichwītnōnąto whiten, become white
4Proto-Indo-Europeankwind-—

Words derived from “whiten”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European kwind- →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwītnōną →Every word from Old Norse hvítna →