Where does “waning” come from?
waning (Middle English) comes from Old English wanung, from Old English wānian, from Proto-Germanic wainōną, from Proto-Indo-European wáy, from Proto-Indo-European uwáy — to see oneself.
Ancestry of “waning”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | wanung | waning; diminution |
| 2 | Old English | wānian | to complain, lament; to bewail, lament |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | wainōną | to cry, to lament, to grieve |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | wáy | oh!; ah!; woe! |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | uwáy | to see oneself |