Etymograph

English

fanon

Fanon comes from Medieval Latin fanō, from Proto-Germanic *fanô ‘cloth’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂n- ‘something woven’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peh₂n-1‘something woven’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fanô2‘cloth’reconstructed
  3. Frankishc. 250–700*fano2reconstructed
  4. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500fanō2
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400fanon2
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fanon2‘maniple, fanon’
  7. Englishtodayfanon2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *fanô
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English fanon

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peh₂n-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *fanô‘something woven’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fanôWiktionary, English fanon‘cloth’reconstructed
  3. Frankishc. 250–700*fanoWiktionary, English fanonreconstructed
  4. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500fanōWiktionary, English fanon
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400fanonWiktionary, English fanon
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fanonWiktionary, English fanon‘maniple, fanon’
  7. EnglishtodayfanonWiktionary, English fanon

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *peh₂n- ‘something woven’

panel, pane, 1 more

through Proto-Germanic *fanô ‘cloth’

vane, fane

Today it means

noun A vestment reserved only for the Pope for use during a pontifical Mass.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “fanon”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Proto-Germanic *fanô. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *peh₂n- / fanon

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