English word origin

Etymology of garn

From Middle English garn, from Old Norse garn, from Proto-Germanic *garną (“intestine, chord, yarn”). Akin to Danish garn (“yarn”), Swedish garn (“yarn”), Old English ġearn (“yarn”). Doublet of yarn.

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 ↗

noun

Yarn (twisted fibers for weaving) or worsted (woolen yarn).

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentiongarnenm
Derivation mentiongarnnon
Derivation mention*garnągem-pro · intestine, chord, yarn
Cognate mentiongarnda · yarn
Cognate mentiongarnsv · yarn
Cognate mentionġearnang · yarn

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "garn"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English garn"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "garn"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse garn"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*garną",
        "t": "intestine, chord, yarn"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *garną (“intestine, chord, yarn”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "garn",
        "t": "yarn"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish garn (“yarn”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "garn",
        "t": "yarn"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish garn (“yarn”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "ġearn",
        "t": "yarn"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ġearn (“yarn”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "dbt",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yarn"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of yarn"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "garn",
      "garn#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "garn",
      "garn#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "*garną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/garną"
    ],
    [
      "garn",
      "garn#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "garn",
      "garn#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "ġearn",
      "gearn#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "yarn",
      "yarn#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Yarn (twisted fibers for weaving) or worsted (woolen yarn)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dialectal",
        "obsolete",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "e24b0f53c8eb5c7e48b0c9fdd37a8cf8204bbafb9ecca9f16410c3352997674d",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0dded4c93f483984d256611de5391272ddc159cd37caf952969fa528742cf280",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 409099
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

intj

A response that expresses disbelief or mockery.

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

From go on.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "go on",
      "go on#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "intj",
      "glosses": [
        "A response that expresses disbelief or mockery."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cockney",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "b5a310a9fed8ce06ee6582055caa5a52b06345070948a48d17473824586334ac",
      "rawRecordSha256": "20943740899de1786714c7de8f7f54f23bfb0c6c8586367816df8e19ea139dcd",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 409100
    }
  ],
  "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 garn →

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-Z2Fybg