wan-

See also Appendix:Variations of "wan"

English

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old English wan- (prefix expressing privation or negation), from Proto-Germanic *wanaz (“lacking, missing, deficient”), from Proto-Indo-European *(e)wAn-, *wān- (“empty”). Cognate with Dutch wan-, German Wahn-, Danish, Swedish and Icelandic van-, Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌽𐍃 (wans, “lacking, deficient”). More at want.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /wɒn/

Prefix

wan-

1. (no longer productive except in Scotland) Preceding nouns and adjectives with the sense ‘bad, un-’

   Examples: wanhope, wanrest

Derived terms

[+] English words prefixed with wan-

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Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch wan-, from wan (“lacking, wrong”), from Old Dutch *wan, from Proto-Germanic *wanaz. Cognate with Old English wan-.

Prefix

wan-

1. Preceding nouns, verbs and adjectives with the sense ‘bad, un-’.

Derived terms

• wangedrag
• wanhoop
• wantrouwend

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Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *wanaz (“lacking”), from Proto-Indo-European *we-no- (“absent, lacking, without”), *lang-, from Proto-Indo-European *eue- (“to leave, abandon”). Akin to Old Saxon wan- (Dutch wan-), Old High German wan- (German wahn-), Old Norse van- (Swedish van-), Gothic wans "wanting", Old English wanian "to lessen, wane", Latin vānus. More at wane

Pronunciation

• IPA: /wan/

Prefix

wan-

1. Forming nouns and adjectives with the sense provation or negation, ‘lacking, without; un-, wan-’.

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Scots

Etymology

Old English wan-. Cognate with German wahn-, Swedish van-.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /wɒn/

Prefix

wan-

1. Preceding nouns and adjectives with the sense ‘bad, un-’

   Examples: wanhope, wanrest