Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “dun” come from?

dun (Middle English) comes from Old English dunn, from Proto-Germanic dusnaz, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- — smoke; mist, haze.

Ancestry of “dun”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishdunnbrown; bleak, dark, dim
2Proto-Germanicdusnazbrownish; brown; yellow
3Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “dun”

  • donkey
  • dun
  • dunny
  • dunlin
  • dunner
  • donk
  • donkeyman
  • dunnish
  • donkeyish
  • dunfish
  • dunness
  • dunbird
  • donkeyshit
  • donkeycock
  • donkeydick
  • donkeyfucker
  • duns
  • donkey vote
  • donkey voter
  • weredonkey
  • antidonkey
  • donekie
  • donkie
  • donki
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →