wing

Where does the word "wing" come from? It comes from Old Norse vaengr, and was adopted directly into English (1200s).

Wing’s story begins in Old Norse: vaengr meant “a bird's flying limb.” The limb a bird uses to fly, replacing the earlier native English word fethra in general use. It reached English by 1200s as wing. Settled as the standard English word for a bird's or aircraft's flying limb. Today, wing means a limb or structure that enables flight, or a section of a building.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval vaengr "a bird's flying limb", the limb a bird uses to fly, replacing the earlier native English word fethra in general use.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1200s wing "a limb or structure used for flying", settled as the standard English word for a bird's or aircraft's flying limb.