Where does “even” come from?

even (Dutch) comes from Middle Dutch ēven, from Old Dutch evan, from Proto-West Germanic ebn, from Proto-Germanic ebnaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₁émnos — equal, straight; flat, level, even.

even (Dutch): shortly, briefly; for a short period, for a...

Definitions

  1. shortly, briefly; for a short period, for a...

Ancestry of “even”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Dutchēveneven, equal
2Old Dutchevan—
3Proto-West Germanicebneven, level
4Proto-Germanicebnazeven, level
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁émnosequal, straight; flat, level, even

Words derived from “even”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁émnos →Every word from Proto-Germanic ebnaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic ebn →