Where does “swan” come from?

swan (Middle High German) comes from Old High German swan, from Proto-West Germanic swan, from Proto-Germanic swanaz, from Proto-Indo-European swenh₂- — to sound.

Ancestry of “swan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanswan—
2Proto-West Germanicswanswan
3Proto-Germanicswanazswan
4Proto-Indo-Europeanswenh₂-to sound

Words derived from “swan”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European swenh₂- →Every word from Proto-Germanic swanaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic swan →