the modern english verb "win" descends directly from the old english "winnan," meaning to labor, toil, strive, or fight. this term is of proto-germanic origin, from the root winnaną, which carried the sense of striving to gain something, often through struggle or effort. the semantic evolution shifted from the general concept of striving to the specific successful outcome of that struggle, i.e., gaining victory. this core meaning of achieving success through effort has remained remarkably stable from its germanic roots into contemporary english usage.

this is a simplex word of old english origin. it functions as a complete lexical unit.