Where does “winsome” come from?

winsome (Middle English) comes from Old English wynsum, from Proto-West Germanic wunnjusam, from Proto-West Germanic wunnju, from Proto-Germanic wunjō, from Proto-Indo-European wn̥h₁yeh₂, from Proto-Indo-European wenh₁- — to love.

Ancestry of “winsome”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwynsumpleasant; joyful
2Proto-West Germanicwunnjusamjoyful, delightful
3Proto-West Germanicwunnjujoy
4Proto-Germanicwunjōjoy, delight, pleasure, lust; name of the W-rune
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwn̥h₁yeh₂—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwenh₁-to love
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wenh₁- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European wn̥h₁yeh₂ →Every word from Proto-Germanic wunjō →