*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of den

From Middle English den, from Old English denn (“den, lair (of a beast), cave; a swine-pasture, a woodland pasture for swine”), from Proto-West Germanic *dani (“threshing-floor, barn-floor”). Cognate with Scots den (“den

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

A small cavern or hollow place in the side of a hill, or among rocks; especially, a cave used by a wild animal for shelter or concealment. · A squalid or wretched place; a haunt. · A comfortable room not used for formal entertaining. · Synonym of fort (“structure improvised from furniture, etc. for playing games.”).

verb

To ensconce or hide oneself in (or as in) a den. · Of an animal, to use as a den; to take up residence in.

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

From Middle English den, from Old English denn (“den, lair (of a beast), cave; a swine-pasture, a woodland pasture for swine”), from Proto-West Germanic *dani (“threshing-floor, barn-floor”). Cognate with Scots den (“den, lair”), Middle Dutch denne (“burrow, den, cave, attic”), Dutch den (“ship's deck, threshing-floor, mountain floor”), Middle Low German denne, danne (“threshing-floor, small dale”), German Tenne (“threshing-floor, barn for threshing”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentiondenenm
  • Inherited-form mentiondennang
  • Inherited-form mention*danigmw-pro
  • Cognate mentiondensco
  • Cognate mentiondennedum
  • Cognate mentiondennl
  • Cognate mentiondennegml
  • Cognate mentionTennede

This page abbreviates 2 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

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": "den"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English den"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "denn",
        "4": "",
        "5": "den, lair (of a beast), cave; a swine-pasture, a woodland pasture for swine"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English denn (“den, lair (of a beast), cave; a swine-pasture, a woodland pasture for swine”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*dani",
        "4": "",
        "5": "threshing-floor, barn-floor"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *dani (“threshing-floor, barn-floor”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "den",
        "3": "",
        "4": "den, lair"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots den (“den, lair”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "dum",
        "2": "denne",
        "3": "",
        "4": "burrow, den, cave, attic"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Dutch denne (“burrow, den, cave, attic”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "den",
        "3": "",
        "4": "ship's deck, threshing-floor, mountain floor"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch den (“ship's deck, threshing-floor, mountain floor”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gml",
        "2": "denne"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German denne"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Tenne",
        "3": "",
        "4": "threshing-floor, barn for threshing"
      },
      "expansion": "German Tenne (“threshing-floor, barn for threshing”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "den",
      "den#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "denn",
      "denn#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*dani",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/dani"
    ],
    [
      "den",
      "den#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "denne",
      "denne#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "den",
      "den#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "denne",
      "denne#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "danne",
      "danne#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "Tenne",
      "Tenne#German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A small cavern or hollow place in the side of a hill, or among rocks; especially, a cave used by a wild animal for shelter or concealment.",
        "A squalid or wretched place; a haunt.",
        "A comfortable room not used for formal entertaining.",
        "Synonym of fort (“structure improvised from furniture, etc. for playing games.”)."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "03b949d0209377221beba9127229113822daf1a5934deed3e04c54a84763e151",
      "rawRecordSha256": "aaae4db29f270b04b8ebb567fe5b446dfb59e3c7bf89094b1533b24438f584a4",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 170455
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To ensconce or hide oneself in (or as in) a den.",
        "Of an animal, to use as a den; to take up residence in."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "reflexive",
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "4fdbf4089ee9562646564bccc78b6910cde79e4bacc724be240461916c8a62a9",
      "rawRecordSha256": "5effed52607e5a382617ac8c996b5f1cfb4c8b744bd4ae4e76124a1581812417",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 170456
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 2,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Abbreviation of denier (a unit of weight).

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

From Old French denier, from Latin denarius.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "denier"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French denier"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "denarius"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin denarius"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "denier",
      "denier#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "denarius",
      "denarius#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Abbreviation of denier (a unit of weight)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of"
      ],
      "recordId": "4b0f8631cad694da7652ebf0a04d248aa74aac9422d432d58b088d0c4d552021",
      "rawRecordSha256": "46fd7238f7b7ff00269a5774dbcb634ee03efe1c75a1417c53d4c9245516b15a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 170457
    }
  ],
  "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 den →

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-ZGVu