Where does “whitening” come from?

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

whitening (English): present participle of whiten; A substance, such...

Definitions

  1. present participle of whiten; A substance, such...

Ancestry of “whitening”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishwhitento become white or whiter; to bleach or blanch
2Middle Englishwhitenen—
3Old Norsehvítnato whiten
4Proto-Germanichwītnōnąto whiten, become white
5Proto-Indo-Europeankwind-—

Words derived from “whitening”

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