Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “tan” come from?

tan (Old French) comes from Latin tannum, from Gaulish tannos, from Proto-Celtic tannos, from Proto-Indo-European dʰonu — fir.

tan (Old French): pulped oak bark used in the tanning process

Definitions

  1. pulped oak bark used in the tanning process

Ancestry of “tan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latintannumoak bark
2Gaulishtannos—
3Proto-Celtictannosgreen oak
4Proto-Indo-Europeandʰonufir

Words derived from “tan”

  • tawny
  • tawniness
  • tawnily
  • tawne
  • tawné
  • tané
  • taner
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰonu →