*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of fawn

From Middle English fawne, fowne, foun, from Old French faon, foon, feon, from Vulgar Latin *fētōnem, from Latin fētus (“offspring, young”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)- (“to suckle, nurse”). Displaced native Old

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 ↗
adj

Of the fawn colour.

verb

To give birth to a fawn.

noun

A young deer. · A pale brown colour tinted with yellow, like that of a fawn. · The young of an animal; a whelp.

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

From Middle English fawne, fowne, foun, from Old French faon, foon, feon, from Vulgar Latin *fētōnem, from Latin fētus (“offspring, young”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)- (“to suckle, nurse”). Displaced native Old English hindċealf (literally “deer calf”). Doublet of fetus.

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": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*dʰeh₁(y)-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "foun",
        "4": "fawne, fowne, foun"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English fawne, fowne, foun"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "feon",
        "4": "faon, foon, feon"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French faon, foon, feon"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-vul",
        "3": "*feto",
        "4": "*fētōnem"
      },
      "expansion": "Vulgar Latin *fētōnem"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "fētus",
        "4": "",
        "5": "offspring, young"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin fētus (“offspring, young”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*dʰeh₁(y)-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to suckle, nurse"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)- (“to suckle, nurse”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "hindċealf",
        "lit": "deer calf"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hindċealf (literally “deer calf”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fetus"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of fetus"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "fawne, fowne, foun",
      "foun#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "faon, foon, feon",
      "feon#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "*fētōnem",
      "Reconstruction:Latin/feto"
    ],
    [
      "fētus",
      "fetus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "*dʰeh₁(y)-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dʰeh₁(y)-"
    ],
    [
      "hindċealf",
      "hindcealf#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "fetus",
      "fetus#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Of the fawn colour."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "47aa953fe7f8033c6c633e8b2e1a35c31f3d956ff7b727c2805c3492611ff698",
      "rawRecordSha256": "8c3027eafdab34509286145fe53ffba2bfd8b1566d122a09a0127ee2412fac43",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 162123
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To give birth to a fawn."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "5c7c0c8ee19d0a5acbc8a8613ea57956d84b3301b65511fa99ad22c294e96d8f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b0661d8330411975deb28c91eeb3e2047532c3f6d9406972478d473855a9b511",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 162124
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A young deer.",
        "A pale brown colour tinted with yellow, like that of a fawn.",
        "The young of an animal; a whelp."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "f660eb9fd150b3da212a009df0a76dc94a888d9caa24c66672712a25adae2704",
      "rawRecordSha256": "7cc107e392da945179f96dc79b7ceeb2af7f0b7c04079351babc0af2f8ea25eb",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 162122
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A servile cringe or bow. · Base flattery.

verb

To show devotion or submissiveness by wagging its tail, nuzzling, licking, etc. · To exhibit affection toward someone. · To attempt to please someone. · To seek favour by flattery and obsequious behaviour.

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

From Middle English fawnen, from Old English fagnian, alternative form of fæġnian (“to celebrate”), whence Middle English fainen, English fain. Cognate with Old Norse fagna. See also fain.

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": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "flatter"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "fawnen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English fawnen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "fagnian"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English fagnian"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "fainen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English fainen"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fain"
      },
      "expansion": "English fain"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "non",
        "2": "fagna"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse fagna"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "fawnen",
      "fawnen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "fagnian",
      "fagnian#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "fæġnian",
      "fægnian#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "fainen",
      "fainen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "fain",
      "fain#English"
    ],
    [
      "fagna",
      "fagna#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "fain",
      "fain"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A servile cringe or bow.",
        "Base flattery."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "rare"
      ],
      "recordId": "87321589f3759d7dfb4c4cf10b91245aa931b882aeecadd72e1718f940a2348c",
      "rawRecordSha256": "937dcfefe34a10e13aa09f25b981051be63aaf4343ff00ac81a692831033f453",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 162126
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To show devotion or submissiveness by wagging its tail, nuzzling, licking, etc.",
        "To exhibit affection toward someone.",
        "To attempt to please someone.",
        "To seek favour by flattery and obsequious behaviour."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "broadly",
        "figuratively",
        "derogatory"
      ],
      "recordId": "8e811ecd2c610014072743670d7cd3c224627d00e7ab53148471148036a345d2",
      "rawRecordSha256": "70596114d38ae91aa67623348273a6a6372558f1580885d39a19dd4d780a3dc8",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 162125
    }
  ],
  "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 fawn →

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-ZmF3bg