English word origin

Etymology of Yan

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 燕 (Yān).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 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

An ancient march, duchy, and kingdom of northeastern China during the Zhou dynasty. · The realm of this land under later imperial Chinese dynasties. · A mountain chain in northeastern China.

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

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 燕 (Yān).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Unspecified derivation mention燕cmn

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn-pinyin",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Hanyu Pinyin"
    },
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "燕",
        "tr": "Yān"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin 燕 (Yān)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "燕",
      "燕#Mandarin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "An ancient march, duchy, and kingdom of northeastern China during the Zhou dynasty.",
        "The realm of this land under later imperial Chinese dynasties.",
        "A mountain chain in northeastern China."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
      "recordId": "a9f9e641090ce0fbdfa7f590ba7ef2b511a7ce23328009c22e3b8be4b70e28b6",
      "rawRecordSha256": "2d15f8c829de395b0d52f90518a4f90c0f010fde0f380f232dde5cbf0aa2d21a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4756793
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

name

A surname from Mandarin.

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

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 嚴 /严 (yán).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Unspecified derivation mention嚴cmn

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn-pinyin",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Hanyu Pinyin"
    },
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "嚴"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin 嚴 /严 (yán)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "嚴",
      "嚴#Mandarin"
    ],
    [
      "严",
      "严#Mandarin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Mandarin."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "182adad25b70dac7abfd805085204145b9195e3bfb952b185f21c23893c0cd37",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f402341f4725b565f046622b02e895d5af7506e48782a4d1b14ef9d72dc16aa0",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4756795
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 Yan →

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-WWFu