English
vein
Vein comes from Old French veine, and goes back to Latin vēna ‘a blood-vessel’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvēna‘a blood-vessel’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400veine
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588vein
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvēna‘a blood-vessel’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400veine
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588vein
Earliest quotation: c. 1587–1588, Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […]: “An vncouth paine torments my grieued ſoule, And death…”
The story
From Middle English veine, borrowed from Anglo-Norman veine, from Latin vēna (‘a blood-vessel; vein; artery’) of uncertain origin.uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ- ‘to bring, transport’
way, always, via, vehicle, wave, reveal, halfway, wagon, wee, vogue, vector, weigh, wedge, headway, wag, veil, wonky, eunuch, wey, waw, vex, wain, venal, velar, invective, 39 more
through Latin vēna ‘a blood-vessel’
Today it means
noun A blood vessel that transports blood from the capillaries back to the heart.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin vēna / vein