Where does “van” come from?

van (Middle High German) comes from Old High German fano, from Proto-West Germanic *fanō, from Proto-Germanic fanô, from Proto-Indo-European pān- — fabric.

Ancestry of “van”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanfanoflag
2Proto-West Germanic*fanō—
3Proto-Germanicfanôcloth; dook/duck; banner; flag
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpān-fabric

Words derived from “van”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pān- →Every word from Proto-Germanic fanô →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *fanō →