Etymograph

English

own

Own comes from Old English āgen ‘own’, originally the past participle of āgan ‘to have’, from Proto-Germanic *aiganaz ‘own, owned’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyḱ- ‘to have, possess’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eyḱ-1‘to have, possess’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*aiganą1‘to own, possess’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*aiganaz1‘own; owned’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*aigan1‘own’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150āgen1‘own, proper’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500oun1
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1610–1611own1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English own
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, The Tempest: “Prospero: Fairely ſpoke ; / Sit then, and talke…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eyḱ-Wiktionary, English own‘to have, possess’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*aiganąWiktionary, English own‘to own, possess’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*aiganazWiktionary, English own‘own; owned’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*aiganWiktionary, English own‘own’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150āgenWiktionary, English own‘own, proper’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ounWiktionary, English own
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1610–1611ownWiktionary, English own. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, The Tempest: “Prospero: Fairely ſpoke ; / Sit then, and talke…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyḱ- ‘to have, possess’

freight, 6 more

through Proto-Germanic *aiganaz

owner, 1 more

through Proto-West Germanic *aigan

ought, owe, 2 more

Today it means

adj Belonging to; possessed; acquired and designated by; proper to; property of; titled to; held in one's name; under/using the name of. Often marks a possessive determiner as reflexive, referring back to the subject of the clause or sentence.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “own”. 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 *h₂eyḱ- / own

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