haven

B1 Topic:Places & Geography

US /ˈheɪvən/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like heaven /ɛ/ vs /eɪ/

Freq #297

Meanings

1

noun
A safe place where someone can find protection.

The shelter became a haven for stray animals.
2

noun
A calm and peaceful place.

Their cottage by the lake was a haven from city life.
3

noun
A harbour where ships can shelter from the sea.

The boats sailed into the haven as the storm grew worse.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a safe place where someone... refuge sanctuary

2 noun · a calm and peaceful place. oasis

3 noun · a harbour where ships can... harbor

Word family

Forms havens

Derived forms brookhavenfairhavenhavenagehavenerhavenlesshavenlikehavenwardhavenwardslittlehavenpeacehavensafehaven

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

tax haven
a country or territory known for low taxes

Noun + noun

Simplified etymology

Haven is the Old English word that originally denoted what is now called a harbour, a sheltered place for ships.

Etymology

From Middle English haven, havene, from Old English hæfen (“haven; harbour; port”), from Proto-West Germanic *habanu, from Proto-Germanic *habnō, *habanō (compare Dutch haven, German Hafen, Norwegian/Danish havn, Swedish hamn, French havre), from Proto-Germanic *habą (“sea”) (compare Old English hæf, Middle Low German haf, Old Norse haf (“sea”), German Haff (“bay or lagoon behind a spit”), perhaps, in the sense of "heaving sea", etymologically identical with Old Norse haf (“heaving, lifting, uplift, elevation”), derived from Proto-Germanic *habjaną (“to lift, heave”)), or from Proto-Indo-Europ…

*kap- Proto-Indo-European haven Middle English hæfen Old English *habanu Proto-West Germanic *habnō Proto-Germanic *habą Proto-Germanic *kh₂pnós Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Places & Geography

External links

# haven

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈheɪvən/
**Frequency rank:** 297

## Meanings
1. A safe place where someone can find protection.
2. A calm and peaceful place.
3. A harbour where ships can shelter from the sea.

## Examples
- The shelter became a haven for stray animals.
- Their cottage by the lake was a haven from city life.
- The boats sailed into the haven as the storm grew worse.

## Derived Forms
- brookhaven
- fairhaven
- havenage
- havener
- havenless
- havenlike
- havenward
- havenwards
- littlehaven
- peacehaven
- safehaven

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *kap-
- Root: haven
- Root: hæfen
- Root: *habanu
- Root: *habnō
- Root: *habą
- Root: *kh₂pnós

## Etymology
From Middle English haven, havene, from Old English hæfen (“haven; harbour; port”), from Proto-West Germanic *habanu, from Proto-Germanic *habnō, *habanō (compare Dutch haven, German Hafen, Norwegian/Danish havn, Swedish hamn, French havre), from Proto-Germanic *habą (“sea”) (compare Old English hæf, Middle Low German haf, Old Norse haf (“sea”), German Haff (“bay or lagoon behind a spit”), perhaps, in the sense of "heaving sea", etymologically identical with Old Norse haf (“heaving, lifting, uplift, elevation”), derived from Proto-Germanic *habjaną (“to lift, heave”)), or from Proto-Indo-Europ…

## AI Etymology
Haven comes from Middle English haven, havene, from Old English hæfen (“haven; harbour; port”), from Proto-West Germanic *habanu, from Proto-Germanic *habnō, *habanō (compare Dutch haven, German Hafen, Norwegian/Danish havn, Swedish hamn, French havre), from Proto-Germanic *habą (“sea”) (compare Old English hæf, Middle Low German haf, Old Norse haf (“sea”), German Haff (“bay or lagoon behind a spit”), perhaps, in the sense of "heaving sea", etymologically identical with Old Norse haf (“heaving, lifting, uplift, elevation”), derived from Proto-Germanic *habjaną (“to lift, heave”)), or from Proto-Indo-Europ The historical line also includes *kap- (Proto-Indo-European) and *kh₂pnós (Proto-Indo-European). In current use, the main senses are “A safe place where someone can find protection” and “A calm and peaceful place”.

## Topics
- Places & Geography

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