English word origin

Etymology of Tan

From Mandarin 譚／谭 (Tán).

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

name

A Chinese surname from Mandarin.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Mandarin 譚／谭 (Tán).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "譚",
        "2": "Tán"
      },
      "expansion": "譚／谭 (Tán)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "譚",
      "譚#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "谭",
      "谭#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A Chinese surname from Mandarin."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "aa379a297b403dc391293ca5c59253729456df5c56279c62536e5e775729d5f8",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 333665
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

name

A Chinese surname from Hokkien.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Hokkien 陳 /陈 (Tân). Doublet of Chen and Tran.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mention陳nan-hbl
Doublet mentionChenen
Doublet mentionTranen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nan-hbl",
        "3": "陳",
        "tr": "Tân"
      },
      "expansion": "Hokkien 陳 /陈 (Tân)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Chen",
        "3": "Tran"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of Chen and Tran"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "陳",
      "陳#Hokkien"
    ],
    [
      "陈",
      "陈#Hokkien"
    ],
    [
      "Chen",
      "Chen#English"
    ],
    [
      "Tran",
      "Tran#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A Chinese surname from Hokkien."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "587211fe70433eca0a57b49dd12f169b12cc96a1ca35a9dd61bee408d97cd580",
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  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

name

Alternative form of Dan.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Mandarin 丹 (Dān), reinforced by Wade-Giles romanization: Tan¹.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "丹",
        "tr": "Dān"
      },
      "expansion": "丹 (Dān)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "丹",
      "丹#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "Wade-Giles",
      "Wade-Giles"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of Dan."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Tan →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-VGFu