whiten

Etymology

Comes from Middle English whitenen, whitnen, from Old Norse hvítna (“to whiten”), from Proto-Germanic *hwītnōną (“to whiten, become white”), from Proto-Indo-European *kwind-, *kwint- (“bright”); it is equivalent to white and -en. It is cognate with Icelandic hvítna (“to whiten”), Swedish vitna, hvitna (“to whiten”), and Danish hvidne (“to whiten”). Compare Old English hwītian (“to whiten, become white, be white, make white”).