English
treen
Treen comes from Old English triewen ‘wooden’, from Proto-Germanic *triwīnaz ‘of or pertaining to a tree’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dóru.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dóru1‘tree’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*trewą2‘tree’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*triwīnaz3‘of or pertaining to a tree’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150triewen3‘wooden’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500treen3
- Englishearliest quotation 1670treen3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *trewą
- 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *triwīnaz
- 3 Wiktionary, English treen
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1670, John Evelyn, Royal Society: “To ſhew our Reader yet, that theſe are no…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dóruWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *trewą‘tree’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*trewąWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *triwīnaz‘tree’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*triwīnazWiktionary, English treen‘of or pertaining to a tree’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150triewenWiktionary, English treen‘wooden’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500treenWiktionary, English treen
- Englishearliest quotation 1670treenWiktionary, English treen. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1670, John Evelyn, Royal Society: “To ſhew our Reader yet, that theſe are no…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dóru ‘tree’
trough, dory, druid, dinghy, larch, dendritic, dendrite, 5 more
Today it means
adj Pertaining to or derived from trees; wooden; made of wood.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “treen”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *trewą, Proto-Germanic *triwīnaz. 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 *dóru / treen