Where does “fainen” come from?
fainen (Middle English) comes from Old English fæġnian, from Proto-West Germanic faginōn, from Proto-Germanic faginōną, from Proto-Indo-European pōḱ-.
Ancestry of “fainen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | fæġnian | to rejoice, make glad |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | faginōn | to gladden, rejoice |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | faginōną | to gladden, rejoice |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | pōḱ- | — |