Etymology

wean

W4E1A1N1

Today it means: To cease giving breast milk to an offspring; to accustom and reconcile (a child or young animal) to a want or deprivation of mother's milk; to take from the breast or udder. Full definition →

Middle English wenen ← Old English wenian ← Proto-West Germanic *wannjan
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wean · verb1

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*wenh₁-“to strive for; wish; love”
  2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*wanjaną“to make wont; accustom”
  3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*wannjan
  4. Old English · inherited fromwenian“to accustom; habituate; train; prepare; make fit”
  5. Middle English · inherited fromwenen
  6. English todaywean

From Middle English wenen, from Old English wenian (“to accustom; habituate; train; prepare; make fit”), from Proto-West Germanic *wannjan, from Proto-Germanic *wanjaną (“to make wont; accustom”), from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to strive for; wish; love”). Cognate with Dutch wennen, German gewöhnen, Danish vænne, Swedish vänja, Icelandic venja. Related via PIE to wone, wont, and wonder, and perhaps win.

wean · noun2

  1. Scots · borrowed fromwean
  2. English todaywean

Borrowed from Scots wean (literally “wee one”).

Words from the same roots

Middle Englishwenen all →

ween

Proto-Indo-European*wenh₁- all →

wishwinwonvenomweenvenerealwinnewontedwone

Scotswean all →

wane

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.