en (Danish)
Where does "en" come from?
The Danish word 'en' traces its origins back to the ancient Proto-Indo-European root *h₁óynos, meaning 'one'. It evolved through the Proto-Germanic *ainaz and the Old Norse einn before settling into its modern form as the number one in Danish.
Full etymology tree
- en (Danish), 'one'
- inherited einn (Old Norse), 'one'
- inherited *ainaz (Proto-Germanic), 'one'
- inherited *h₁óynos (Proto-Indo-European), 'one'
- derived *éy (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *h₁óynos (Proto-Indo-European), 'one'
- inherited *ainaz (Proto-Germanic), 'one'
- inherited einn (Old Norse), 'one'
Ancestors
- einn (Old Norse)
- *ainaz (Proto-Germanic)
- *h₁óynos (Proto-Indo-European)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris