Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “deorcnian” come from?

deorcnian (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic dirkinōn, from Proto-West Germanic derk, from Proto-Germanic derkaz, from Proto-Indo-European dʰerg-o-s, from Proto-Indo-European dʰerg-, from Proto-Indo-European dʰer- — to support; to hold.

Ancestry of “deorcnian”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanicdirkinōnto darken, to become dark; to darken, to make...
2Proto-West Germanicderkdirty; dark
3Proto-Germanicderkaz—
4Proto-Indo-Europeandʰerg-o-s—
5Proto-Indo-Europeandʰerg-to dim, darken; dim, dull; dark, dusky
6Proto-Indo-Europeandʰer-to support; to hold

Words derived from “deorcnian”

  • darkening
  • darken
  • darkeneth
  • photodarkening
  • darkener
  • undarkening
  • darkenest
  • darkeningly
  • bedarken
  • endarken
  • antidarkening
  • derkenen
  • dirkenen
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰer- →