Where does “onwæcnan” come from?

onwæcnan (Old English) comes from Old English on, from Proto-West Germanic ana, from Proto-Germanic *an, from Proto-Germanic ana, from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- — on, onto.

onwæcnan (Old English): to awake

Definitions

  1. to awake

Ancestry of “onwæcnan”, step by step

onwæcnan traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English on

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishonon, in, at, among; from
2Proto-West Germanicanaon
3Proto-Germanic*an—
4Proto-Germanicanaon, at; on, onto; ana
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto

via Old English wæcnan

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwæcnanto wake up; to arise, come into being
2Proto-Germanicwaknanąto wake up, to awaken, to become awake
3Proto-Indo-Europeanweǵ-lively, awake; strong
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →Every word from Proto-Germanic ana →Every word from Proto-Germanic *an →
onwæcnan — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer