Where does “-an” come from?

-an (Cimbrian) comes from Middle High German -en, from Old High German -īn, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz, from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos, from Proto-Indo-European -no- — adjectival suffix.

-an (Cimbrian): A suffix of all verbs in their infinitive form

Definitions

  1. A suffix of all verbs in their infinitive form

Ancestry of “-an”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High German-en—
2Old High German-īn—
3Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
4Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
5Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix

Words derived from “-an”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →Every word from Proto-Germanic -īnaz →Every word from Middle High German -en →