vin (French)
Where does "vin" come from?
French vin “wine” is a straight inheritance through the Romance line: Old French vin and Middle French vin go back to Latin vīnum. Latin vīnum comes from Proto-Italic *wīnom, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wóyh₁nom, a very old word for wine with relatives across ancient languages (like Greek oînos). The meaning has stayed remarkably stable throughout this long journey, continuing to refer to wine as a drink.
Full etymology tree
- vin (French), 'wine'
- inherited from vin (Middle French), 'wine (alcoholic beverage)'
- inherited from vin (Old French), 'wine'
- inherited from vīnum (Latin), 'wine'
- inherited from *wīnom (Proto-Italic)
- derived from *wéyh₁ō (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived from *weh₁y- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to twist, wind, weave, plait'
- suffix *-ō (Proto-Indo-European), 'Adverbial suffix indicating direction'
- borrowed from *wayn- (Proto-West Semitic), 'wine'
- borrowed from *ɣwino- (Proto-Kartvelian), 'wine'
- inherited from *wóyh₁nom (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived from *wéyh₁ō (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited from *wīnom (Proto-Italic)
- inherited from vīnum (Latin), 'wine'
- inherited from vin (Old French), 'wine'
- inherited from vin (Middle French), 'wine (alcoholic beverage)'
Ancestors
- vin (Middle French)
- vin (Old French)
- vinum (Latin)
- *wīnom (Proto-Italic)
- *wéyh₁ō (Proto-Indo-European)
Descendants and derived words
- à bon vin point d'enseigne (French)
- aviner (French)
- boire le vin de l'étrier (French)
- cave à vin (French)
- coq au vin (French)
- marchand de vin (French)
- mettre de l'eau dans son vin (French)
- pointe de vin (French)
- quand le vin est tiré, il faut le boire (French)
- sac à vin (French)
- tache de vin (French)
- vinasse (French)
Updated March 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris