Where does “van-” come from?

van- (Icelandic) comes from Old Norse van-, from Old Norse vanr, from Proto-Germanic wanaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₁weh₂- — to leave, abandon, give out.

van- (Icelandic): too little, short of, lacking in

Definitions

  1. too little, short of, lacking in

Ancestry of “van-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsevan-under-, un-
2Old Norsevanrlacking, wanting; a member of the Vanir
3Proto-Germanicwanazlacking, deficient, absent; accustomed
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁weh₂-to leave, abandon, give out

Words derived from “van-”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁weh₂- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wanaz →Every word from Old Norse vanr →