Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “rūn” come from?

rūn (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic rūnu, from Proto-Germanic rūnō, from Proto-Celtic rūnā — secret, mystery.

rūn (Old English): letter, rune; whisper, secret, mystery; secret,...

Definitions

  1. letter, rune; whisper, secret, mystery; secret,...

Ancestry of “rūn”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanicrūnusecret, mystery; rune, letter
2Proto-Germanicrūnōsecret, mystery; rune
3Proto-Celticrūnāsecret, mystery

Words derived from “rūn”

  • roe
  • roun
  • roedeer
  • roed
  • roestone
  • roes
  • roun
Every word from Proto-Celtic rūnā →