Where does “chan” come from?

chan (Irish) comes from Middle Irish nocon, from Old Irish nícon, from Old Irish ní, from Proto-Celtic nīs, from Proto-Indo-European ne h₁ésti — is not.

chan (Irish): not; past analytic of can

Definitions

  1. not; past analytic of can

Ancestry of “chan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Irishnocon—
2Old Irishníconnot
3Old Irishnínot; is not, isn’t; something, anything
4Proto-Celticnīs—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanne h₁éstiis not
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ne h₁ésti →Every word from Proto-Celtic nīs →Every word from Old Irish ní →