Where does “van” come from?

van (Middle Dutch) comes from Old Dutch fān, from Old Saxon fāhan, from Proto-Germanic fanhaną, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂ḱ- — to join, to attach; agreement, settlement.

van (Middle Dutch): of; from; out of

Definitions

  1. of; from; out of

Ancestry of “van”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Dutchfānoff, from
2Old Saxonfāhanto seize
3Proto-Germanicfanhanąto take, to seize; to capture, to catch
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₂ḱ-to join, to attach; agreement, settlement

Words derived from “van”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European peh₂ḱ- →