Etymology Explorer › Swedish

Where does “von” come from?

von (Swedish) comes from German von, from Middle High German von, from Old High German fon, from Proto-Germanic fanē, from Proto-Indo-European h₂pó, from Proto-Indo-European h₂epo — from, off, back; off, away; off, from.

von (Swedish): of; only used in surnames of nobility

Definitions

  1. of; only used in surnames of nobility

Ancestry of “von”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanvonfrom; of, belonging to; by
2Middle High Germanvonfrom
3Old High Germanfonfrom
4Proto-Germanicfanēfrom
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂póoff, away
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂epofrom, off, back; off, away; off, from
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂epo →