Etymology Explorer › Swedish

Where does “van” come from?

van (Swedish) comes from Old Norse vinr, from Proto-Norse ᚹᛁᚾᛁᛉ, from Proto-Germanic winiz, from Proto-Indo-European wenh₁- — to love.

van (Swedish): fair, beautiful; a friend

Definitions

  1. fair, beautiful; a friend

Ancestry of “van”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsevinrfriend
2Proto-Norseᚹᛁᚾᛁᛉfriend
3Proto-Germanicwinizloved one, friend
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwenh₁-to love

Words derived from “van”

  • vänlig
  • vänligen
  • väntjänst
  • brevvän
  • vänskap
  • flickvän
  • pojkvän
  • väninna
  • vänskaplig
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wenh₁- →