Where does “Vanessa” come from?
Vanessa (Portuguese) comes from English Vanessa, from Dutch van, from Middle Dutch van, from Old Dutch fān, from Old Saxon fāhan, from Proto-Germanic fanhaną, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂ḱ- — to join, to attach; agreement, settlement.
Ancestry of “Vanessa”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Vanessa | Any butterfly of the genus Vanessa |
| 2 | Dutch | van | of; by, of; from |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | van | of; from; out of |
| 4 | Old Dutch | fān | off, from |
| 5 | Old Saxon | fāhan | to seize |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fanhaną | to take, to seize; to capture, to catch |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₂ḱ- | to join, to attach; agreement, settlement |