Where does “actan” come from?

actan (Old English) comes from Old English tān, from Proto-West Germanic *tain, from Proto-Germanic tainaz, from Proto-Indo-European doynos.

actan (Old English): oak twig

Definitions

  1. oak twig

Ancestry of “actan”, step by step

actan traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English tān

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishtānsprig, twig; twig, switch
2Proto-West Germanic*taintwig
3Proto-Germanictainazrod; twig; straw; lot
4Proto-Indo-Europeandoynos—

via Old English āc

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishācoak; oaken ship
2Proto-West Germanicakbut
3Proto-Germanicakbut, however
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁o-ge—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European doynos →Every word from Proto-Germanic tainaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *tain →