wynn

See also: Wynn

English

Alternative forms

• wen (obsolete)
• win

Etymology

From Middle English wynne, winne, wenne, wunne, wyn, from Old English wynn (“joy, pleasure”), from Proto-West Germanic *wunnju, from Proto-Germanic *wunjō, from Proto-Indo-European *wn̥h₁yeh₂, from *wenh₁- (“desire, wish, love”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wɪn/
• Rhymes: -ɪn
• Homophones: win, Nguyen

Noun

Wynn

wynn (plural wynns)

1. A letter of the Old English alphabet, ƿ, borrowed from the futhark and used to represent the sound of w; replaced in Middle English times by the digraph uu, which later developed into the letter w.
   • 1985, Robert Burchfield, The English Language, Oxford: Oxford University Press, page 175:

     The Norman scribes gradually replaced wynn by u, uu, vv, and w itself.

See also

• eth / edh / eð / ð
• thorn / þorn / þ

Demotic

Etymology

A metathesized borrowing from the Imperial Aramaic gentilic plural 𐡉𐡅𐡍𐡉𐡍 (ywnyn /⁠*yawnāyīn⁠/, “Greeks”), ultimately derived from Ancient Greek Ἰᾱ́ϝων (Iā́wōn, “Ionian”). Compare Jewish Literary Aramaic יַוְנָאִין (yawnāʾīn, “Greeks”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): */wa(j).jaˈniːn/

Noun

⁠⁠⁠⁠ m

1. Greek (person)

Descendants

• Akhmimic Coptic: ⲟⲩⲁⲉⲓⲁⲛⲓⲛ (ouaeianin)
• Bohairic Coptic: ⲟⲩⲉⲓⲛⲓⲛ (oueinin)
• Sahidic Coptic: ⲟⲩⲁⲓⲛⲓⲛ (ouainin)

References

• Erichsen, Wolja (1954) Demotisches Glossar, Copenhagen: Ejnar Munksgaard, page 80
• Černý, Jaroslav (1976) Coptic Etymological Dictionary, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 213
• Brugsch, F. Chabas and Eug. Revillout (1911) Revue Égyptologique publiée sous la direction de MM. Vol. XIII, page 107, Paris

Old English

Alternative forms

• wyn

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *wunnju.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wynn/, [wyn]

Noun

wynn f

1. joy, delight
   • 10th century, The Wanderer:

     oþþe mec frēondlēasne · frēfran wolde,
     wēman mid wynnum. · Wāt sē þe cunnað,
     hū slīþen bið · sorg tō ġefēran,
     þām þe him lȳt hafað · lēofra ġeholena.

     or friendless me would soothe,
     allure with glees. Knows the one who undergoes,
     how tough is sorrow as a companion,
     to whom little has dear confidants for himself.

2. the runic character ᚹ
   • The Old English rune poem

     ᚹ ne brūceþ þe can wēana lȳt...

     Joy he has, he who knows little of woe...

3. the letter wynn: Ƿ, ƿ (/w/)

Usage notes

Mostly occurs in poetry and feminine proper names. The normal prose words for "joy" were ġefēa and bliss.

Declension

Declension of wynn (strong ō-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	wynn	wynna, wynne
accusative	wynne	wynna, wynne
genitive	wynne	wynna
dative	wynne	wynnum

Derived terms

• wynfæst
• wynsum
• wynlīċ
• wynfull

Related terms

• wenian
• wine

Descendants

• Middle English: wynne, wunne, winne
  • English: wynn, wen, winne, win
  • Scots: win