Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “wicker man” come from?

wicker man (English) comes from English man, from Middle English man, from Old English mān, from Sanskrit महादेव, from Sanskrit महा, from Sanskrit महायान, from Sanskrit यान, from Proto-Indo-Aryan yáHnam — to go; to go in, enter; to ride, to travel.

wicker man (English): A giant effigy of a man, allegedly used in Celtic...

Definitions

  1. A giant effigy of a man, allegedly used in Celtic...

Ancestry of “wicker man”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmanAn adult male human; All human males...
2Middle EnglishmanTypically singular, indefinite pronoun: one, you;...
3Old Englishmānbad, criminal, false; shameful act; crime;...
4Sanskritमहादेव—
5Sanskritमहाcombining form of महत्; buffalo; great, large,...
6Sanskritमहायान—
7Sanskritयानcarriage, vehicle, mode of transport; moving,...
8Proto-Indo-AryanyáHnam—
9Proto-Indo-IranianyáHnam—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanyéh₂-nom—
11Proto-Indo-Europeanyeh₂-to go; to go in, enter; to ride, to travel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yeh₂- →