Etymograph

English

can

Can comes from Old English cunnan ‘to know how’, from Proto-West Germanic *kunnan ‘to recognise’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵneh₃-‘to recognise’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵn̥néh₃ti‘to know’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kunnaną‘to know’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kunnan‘to recognise’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150cunnan‘to know how’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500can
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1449same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵneh₃-‘to recognise’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵn̥néh₃ti‘to know’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kunnaną‘to know’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kunnan‘to recognise’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150cunnan‘to know how’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500can
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1449same form

Earliest quotation: 1449, Reginald Pecock: “prouyng which eny clerk can or woel or mai…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- ‘to recognise’

know, note, normal, notice, recognize, ignore, recognition, narrative, glory, noble, notion, keen, cognitive, norm, diagnostic, notorious, ignorant, notation, nobility, cognition, prognosis, narration, quaint, gnome, notoriety, notary, incognito, agnostic, connoisseur, kith, gnosis, recognizance, canny, cognizance, annotate, 88 more

through Proto-Germanic *kunnaną ‘to know, to be familiar with, to recognise’

keenly, uncouth, 5 more

through Old English cunnan ‘to know how’

could, con, ken, cunning, cun, 2 more

through Middle English can

khan, canna

Another origin of can

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gandʰ-uncertain
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kannǭ‘can, tankard, mug, cup’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150canne‘glass, container, cup, jar’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘a tub, can or pot’
  5. Englishtodaycan

Today it means

verb To know how to.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- / can

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