The Spanish verb 'ganar' (meaning 'to win' or 'to earn') has interesting Germanic roots, rather than the Latin origins that are more common for Spanish words. It comes from Gothic '*ganan' meaning 'to covet' or 'to desire', which itself developed from the Germanic root '*ginon' meaning 'to desire'. The meaning evolved from the concept of desiring something to actively acquiring or winning it, leading to the modern Spanish meaning of earning or winning.

Some common Spanish words derived from 'ganar' include 'ganancia' (profit, gain), 'ganador' (winner), and 'ganado' (livestock - historically referring to acquired wealth in the form of cattle). These words maintain the core concept of acquisition or winning that evolved from the original meaning of desire.

While English doesn't have many direct cognates with 'ganar', there is an interesting connection through the word 'gain', which comes from a different but related Germanic root. Both 'ganar' and 'gain' share the fundamental concept of acquisition or obtaining something, though they developed through different paths from their Germanic origins.