From Proto-Germanic*wunjō, from Indo-European *wen-, *wenə- ‘strive for, wish, desire’. Cognate with Old English wynn, Old High German wunna (German Wonne). Related to Old Saxon wini, wennian. The Indo-European root is also the source of Latin venus, Celtic *wenja- (Old Irish fine, Welsh gwen) and Albanian uri(“hunger, desire”) arch. 'uni'.