wanse

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*h₁weh₂-“empty”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*wanisōną“to lessen”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*wansōn
4. Old English · inherited fromwansian“to diminish”
5. Middle English · inherited fromwansen“to decrease, diminish”
6. English todaywanse

From Middle English wansen (“to decrease, diminish”), from Old English wansian (“to diminish”), from Proto-West Germanic *wansōn, a variant of *wanisōn, from Proto-Germanic *wanisōną (“to lessen”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weh₂- (“empty”). Cognate with Old Norse vansa (“to do too little, suffer loss”), Old Norse vansi (“lack, want”). More at wane.

Words from the same roots