Where does “den” come from?
den (Middle English) comes from Old French deien, from Latin decānus, from Latin decem, from Latin -nus, from Proto-Italic -nos, from Proto-Indo-European -nós — Creates verbal adjectives from roots.
den (Middle English): A cave or cavern
Definitions
- A cave or cavern
Ancestry of “den”, step by step
den traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French deien
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | deien | — |
| 2 | Latin | decānus | chief of ten people (in various contexts) |
| 3 | Latin | decem | ten; 10 |
| 4 | Latin | -nus | -an |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -nos | Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -nós | Creates verbal adjectives from roots |
via Old English denn
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | denn | den or lair; a woodland pasture for swine |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | dani | a flat area, floor; a small dale |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | daniz | a Dane |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰenh₂- | to set in motion; to flow |
via Anglo-Norman deen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anglo-Norman | deen | — |