English word origin

Etymology of dan

From Middle English dan, daun, dam (“lord”), from Anglo-Norman daun, daunz and Old French dan, dam, from Latin dominus. Doublet of don.

5 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 5 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

A title of honour or respect similar to "master" or "Sir", used of historical and legendary figures of the past.

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

From Middle English dan, daun, dam (“lord”), from Anglo-Norman daun, daunz and Old French dan, dam, from Latin dominus. Doublet of don.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentiondanenm
Derivation mentiondanfro
Derivation mentiondominusla
Doublet mentiondonen

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A small truck or sledge used in coal mines.

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

Uncertain.

Inspect preserved source fields

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

A rank of black belt in martial arts. · Someone who has achieved a level of black belt.

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

From Japanese 段 (dan).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Borrowed-form mention段ja

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗

noun

Synonym of picul: a traditional unit of weight and mass, chiefly used as a dry measure of grains. · A traditional unit of equivalent volume, now officially equal to 100 liters.

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

From the pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 担 (dàn) and Chinese 石 (dàn).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Borrowed-form mention担zh
Borrowed-form mention石zh

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗

noun

A dan buoy.

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

Uncertain.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Where this record stops

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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-ZGFu