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 monarch

Definitions

  1. king monarch

Ancestry of “king”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishcyningking
2Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
3Proto-West Germanictūnfence
4Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
5Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
6Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
7Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “king”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →Every word from Proto-Celtic dūnom →Every word from Gaulish dunum →