wan

/ˈwɒn/WON
/ˈwɑn/WAHN

Meaningdark, livid

Common meaning: pale

Journey through time

  1. Old Englishwann‘dark, dusty, sable, lurid, livid’sourceB&T
  2. Middle Englishwansource
  3. Englishmeaning shiftsdark, dusty, sable, lurid, livid → palewan‘pale’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Old English wann ‘dark, livid’.

Did you know (The old ancestor…): our wording, based on Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry WAN, p. 695 · dictionary scan

Did you know (Wan once meant…): our wording, based on Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry WAN, p. 695 · dictionary scan; Bosworth & Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (1898), entry wann, p. 1168 · dictionary scan

Roots

  • wann Old English “dark, livid”

Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app