*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of icen

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁eyH- Proto-Indo-European *h₁eyH-so-der. Proto-Germanic *īsą Proto-West Germanic *īs Old English īs Middle English is English ice English -en English icen From ice + -en (“to become l

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 ↗
verb

To make or become iced or icy; frost (all senses)

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

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁eyH- Proto-Indo-European *h₁eyH-so-der. Proto-Germanic *īsą Proto-West Germanic *īs Old English īs Middle English is English ice English -en English icen From ice + -en (“to become like”).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "ice",
        "4": "-en<id:inchoative><t:to become like>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₁eyH-\nProto-Indo-European *h₁eyH-so-der.\nProto-Germanic *īsą\nProto-West Germanic *īs\nOld English īs\nMiddle English is\nEnglish ice\nEnglish -en\nEnglish icen\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*h₁eyH-so-\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₁eyH-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*īsą\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*īs\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"īs\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"is\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"ice\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }, { \"id\" : \"inchoative\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-en\", \"gloss\" : \"to become like\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"icen\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"icen\">\nFrom ice + -en (“to become like”)."
    },
    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "ice",
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      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₁eyH-\nProto-Indo-European *h₁eyH-so-der.\nProto-Germanic *īsą\nProto-West Germanic *īs\nOld English īs\nMiddle English is\nEnglish ice\nProto-Germanic *-in-\nProto-Indo-European *-h₂\nProto-Indo-European *-éh₂\nProto-Indo-European *-yéti\nProto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti\nProto-Indo-European *-h₂ti\nProto-Germanic *-ōną\nProto-Germanic *-inōną\nProto-West Germanic *-inōn\nOld English -nian\nMiddle English -enen /-nen\nEnglish -en\nEnglish icen\nFrom ice + -en (“to become like”)."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*h₁eyH-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁eyH-"
    ],
    [
      "*īsą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/īsą"
    ],
    [
      "*īs",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/īs"
    ],
    [
      "īs",
      "is#Old_English:_ice"
    ],
    [
      "is",
      "is#Middle_English:_ice"
    ],
    [
      "ice",
      "ice#English"
    ],
    [
      "-en",
      "-en#English:_inchoative"
    ],
    [
      "ice",
      "ice#English"
    ],
    [
      "-en",
      "-en#English:_inchoative"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To make or become iced or icy; frost (all senses)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "ambitransitive"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1710322
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
adj

Made of or consisting of ice.

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

From Middle English isen, ysen, equivalent to ice + -en (“made of”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionisenenm
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "isen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English isen"
    },
    {
      "name": "suf",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ice",
        "3": "-en<id:made of><t:made of>"
      },
      "expansion": "ice + -en (“made of”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "isen",
      "isen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ysen",
      "ysen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ice",
      "ice#English"
    ],
    [
      "-en",
      "-en#English:_made_of"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Made of or consisting of ice."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
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  }
}

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 icen →

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-aWNlbg