wane

wane · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*h₁weh₂-“to leave, abandon; empty, deserted”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*wanô
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*wanō
4. Old English · inherited fromwana“defect, shortage”
5. Middle English · inherited fromwane
6. English todaywane

From Middle English wane, from Old English wana (“defect, shortage”), from Proto-West Germanic *wanō, from Proto-Germanic *wanô, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weh₂- (“to leave, abandon; empty, deserted”). Cognates See also wan-, want, and waste. Compare also Dutch waan (“insanity”) and German Wahn (“insanity”) deprecated defect, Old Norse vanr (“lacking”) ( > Danish prefix van-, only found in compounds), Latin vanus, Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌽𐍃 (wans, “missing, lacking”), Albanian vonë (“late, futile, mentally retarded”), Armenian ունայն (unayn, “empty”), Old Saxon and Old High German wanon (“to decrease”), Modern Dutch weinig (“a few”), Modern German weniger (“less”), comparative of wenig (“few”) (-ig being a derivate suffix; -er the suffix of comparatives). Doublet of vain, vaunt, vaniloquent, vast, vacuum, vacant, vacate, which are Latin-derived, via the PIE root.

wane · verb²

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*wanōną
2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*wanōn
3. Old English · inherited fromwanian
4. Middle English · inherited fromwanen
5. English todaywane

From Middle English wanen, wanien, from Old English wanian, wonian, from Proto-West Germanic *wanōn, from Proto-Germanic *wanōną.

wane · noun³

1. Scots · derived fromwean
2. English todaywane

From Scots wean.

wane · noun⁴

1. Middle English · inherited fromwōne
2. English todaywane

From Middle English wōne, wāne (“dwelling," "custom”), of unclear origins, compare wont.

Words from the same roots