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Where does the word "dane" come from? It comes from Old Norse Danir, passing through Old English before entering English (1300s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "dane" come from? It comes from Old Norse Danir, passing through Old English before entering English (1300s).
Dane’s story begins in Old Norse: Danir meant “the Danes.” The people's own name; Denmark is the 'march', borderland, of the Danes. By 800s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as Dene. The 'Danelaw' was the part of England under Danish law after the Viking settlements. It reached English by 1300s as Dane. The Great Dane dog is a German breed, misnamed in the 1700s. Today, dane means a native of Denmark.
- Stage 1 · Old Norse · 800s-1000s Danir "the Danes", the people's own name; Denmark is the 'march', borderland, of the Danes.
- Stage 2 · Old English · 800s-1000s Dene "the Danes", the 'Danelaw' was the part of England under Danish law after the Viking settlements.
- Stage 3 · English · 1300s Dane "Dane", the Great Dane dog is a German breed, misnamed in the 1700s.