Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “cunnen” come from?

cunnen (Middle English) comes from Old English cunnan, from Proto-West Germanic kunnan, from Proto-Germanic kunnaną, from Proto-Indo-European ǵneh₃- — to know.

cunnen (Middle English): To know about; To be able to; to have the...

Definitions

  1. To know about; To be able to; to have the...

Ancestry of “cunnen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishcunnanto know, to be familiar with; can, to know how
2Proto-West Germanickunnanto recognise; to know how, to be able
3Proto-Germanickunnanąto know, to be familiar with, to recognise; to...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵneh₃-to know

Words derived from “cunnen”

  • uncanny
  • canning
  • canny
  • uncannily
  • cun
  • cannery
  • can't
  • cannot
  • cannily
  • uncanniness
  • canniness
  • decan
  • oilcan
  • ashcan
  • jerrycan
  • cann't
  • canful
  • shitcan
  • minican
  • recan
  • candock
  • canlike
  • canhouse
  • can haz
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵneh₃- →