Where does “doun” come from?

doun (Middle English) comes from Old English dūn, from Proto-Germanic *dūnā, from Proto-Celtic dūnom, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- — smoke; mist, haze.

doun (Middle English): down

Definitions

  1. down

Ancestry of “doun”, step by step

doun traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English dūn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishdūnhill, down; hill, dune; hill, mountain
2Proto-Germanic*dūnā—
3Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
4Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

via Old Norse dúnn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsedúnndown, down feather
2Proto-GermanicdūnazAlternative form of *dūnǭ; down

Words derived from “doun”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →Every word from Proto-Celtic dūnom →Every word from Proto-Germanic *dūnā →
doun — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer