Where does “king” come from?
king (Middle English) comes from Old English cyning, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną, from Gaulish dunum, from Proto-Celtic dūnom, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- — smoke; mist, haze.
king (Middle English): king
Ancestry of “king”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | cyning | king |
| 2 | Old English | tūn | enclosure, yard; place; dwelling |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 5 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 6 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |
Words derived from “king”