Etymograph

English

hean

Hean comes from Middle English hene ‘despicable, wrong, malicious’, from Proto-Germanic *hauniz ‘low, lowly’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kaw- ‘to degrade, humiliate’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kaw-‘to degrade, humiliate’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hauniz‘low, lowly’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150hēan‘lowly, despised, poor, mean, bare, abject’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hene‘despicable, wrong, malicious’
  5. Englishtodayhean

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kaw-‘to degrade, humiliate’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hauniz‘low, lowly’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150hēan‘lowly, despised, poor, mean, bare, abject’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hene‘despicable, wrong, malicious’
  5. Englishtodayhean

Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *kaw-

Today it means

adj Mean; abject; poor; humble; lowly.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kaw- / hean

Shirt and support for this word