English word origin

Etymology of vend

17th century, likely a backformation from earlier vendible, vendee, vendor inspired by the underlying French vendre, from Old French vendre, from Latin vendere, from vēnum dāre (“to give (something for) sale”).

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

Synonym of sell, (now especially) to sell through a vending machine. · To provide or export functionality, especially from an API.

noun

The act of vending or selling; a sale. · The total sales of coal from a colliery.

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.

Root classification mention*deh₃-ine-pro
Derivation mentionvendrefr
Derivation mentionvendrefro
Derivation mentionvendola

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "3": "*deh₃-"
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    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "vendre"
      },
      "expansion": "French vendre"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "vendre"
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      "vendible#English"
    ],
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      "vendee#English"
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      "vendor#English"
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      "vendre#French"
    ],
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      "vendre",
      "vendre#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "vendere",
      "vendo#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "vēnum",
      "venum#Latin"
    ],
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      "dāre",
      "do#Latin"
    ]
  ],
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  "descendants": [],
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        "Synonym of sell, (now especially) to sell through a vending machine.",
        "To provide or export functionality, especially from an API."
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

The letter Ꝩ/ꝩ, used in Old Norse, related to the rune wynn (ᚹ, whence also Latin-script Ƿ/ƿ) but with the bowl open at the top, like a y.

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

Borrowed from Old Norse vend. Compare wynn.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Borrowed-form mentionvendnon

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

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 vend →

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-dmVuZA