Where does “Caen” come from?
Caen (French) comes from Proto-Celtic kagyom, from Proto-Indo-European kagʰyóm, from Proto-Indo-European -yós — Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems.
Ancestry of “Caen”, step by step
Caen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Proto-Celtic kagyom
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proto-Celtic | kagyom | pen, enclosure |
| 2 | Proto-Indo-European | kagʰyóm | enclosure, hedge |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |
via Old French Caem
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | Caem | — |
| 2 | Latin | *Catumagus | — |
| 3 | Gaulish | catu- | — |