Where does “misteltān” come from?

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

misteltān (Old English): mistletoe

Definitions

  1. mistletoe

Ancestry of “misteltān”, step by step

misteltān 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 mistel

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishmistelmistletoe
2Proto-West Germanicmistilmistletoe
3Proto-Germanicmistilazmistletoe
4Proto-Indo-Europeansed-to sit

Words derived from “misteltān”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European doynos →Every word from Proto-Germanic tainaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *tain →