Where does “doun-” come from?

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

Ancestry of “doun-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishdūne-down-
2Old Englishdūnehill; down, downward
3Old Englishadūne—
4Old Englishofdūneoff the hill; down
5Old Englishdūnhill, down; hill, dune; hill, mountain
6Proto-Germanic*dūnā—
7Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
8Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze
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