Where does “forwenan” come from?
forwenan (Old English) comes from Old English wēnan, from Proto-Germanic wēnijaną, from Proto-Germanic -janą, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti, from Proto-Indo-European yé-, from Chichewa iye — he, she.
forwenan (Old English): to overween, think too highly of; to think ill...
Definitions
- to overween, think too highly of; to think ill...
Ancestry of “forwenan”, step by step
forwenan traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old English wēnan
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | wēnan | to think (be of a certain opinion) |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | wēnijaną | to hope, to expect; to believe, to imagine |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | -janą | Derives denominatives from nouns and factitives... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 6 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via Old English fōr
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | fōr | journey; going, course, journey |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | furi | for; before; forward |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | furi | for, before; before, forward |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | preh₂- | before, in front |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |