Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “beken” come from?

beken (Middle English) comes from Old English bēacn, from Proto-West Germanic baukn, from Proto-Germanic baukną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰeh₂u- — to be, become.

beken (Middle English): A fire that signals an impending attack or...

Definitions

  1. A fire that signals an impending attack or...

Ancestry of “beken”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishbēacnsign, signal
2Proto-West Germanicbauknsign, symbol
3Proto-Germanicbauknąsign, symbol
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰeh₂u-to be, become

Words derived from “beken”

  • beacon
  • beaconless
  • beaconlike
  • beaconage
  • Beaconite
  • aerobeacon
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰeh₂u- →