Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “wince” come from?

Wince comes from Middle English wincen, from Anglo-Norman wenchir, of unknown ultimate origin.

wince (English): A sudden movement or gesture of shrinking away; A...

Definitions

  1. A sudden movement or gesture of shrinking away; A...

Ancestry of “wince”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwyncen—
2Frankishwankijanto sway, falter; to stagger, sway; to wave
3Proto-Germanicwankijanąto sway; to sway; waver
4Proto-Indo-Europeanweng-to bend, bow, arch, curve; to bow, be bent; to...

Words derived from “wince”

  • wincing
  • wincingly
  • unwincing
  • unwincingly
  • wincer
  • wincest
  • winceworthy
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weng- →