Middle English hony, from Old English hunig "honey," from Proto-Germanic *hunagam (source also of Old Norse hunang, Swedish honung, Old Saxon honeg, Old Frisian hunig, Middle Dutch honich, Dutch honig, Old High German honang, German Honig "honey"), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from PIE *k(e)neko- "yellow, golden" (source also of Sanskrit kancanum, Welsh canecon "gold").