Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “-kind” come from?

-kind (English) comes from Middle English -kinde, from Middle English -kin, from Old English cynn, from Proto-West Germanic *kuni, from Proto-Germanic kunją, from Proto-Indo-European ǵn̥h₁yom, from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- — to produce, to beget, to give birth.

-kind (English): Used to form nouns denoting groups or classes...

Definitions

  1. Used to form nouns denoting groups or classes...

Ancestry of “-kind”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle English-kinde—
2Middle English-kinsmall
3Old Englishcynnkind; tribe, race, species; family
4Proto-West Germanic*kuni—
5Proto-Germanickunjąkin, family, clan; omen, portent, miracle
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵn̥h₁yom—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanǵenh₁-to produce, to beget, to give birth

Words derived from “-kind”

  • humankind
  • womenkind
  • demonkind
  • menkind
  • dragonkind
  • animalkind
  • birdkind
  • mousekind
  • horsekind
  • wolfkind
  • personkind
  • boykind
  • dogkind
  • girlkind
  • childkind
  • catkind
  • giantkind
  • monkeykind
  • peoplekind
  • dolphinkind
  • faeriekind
  • devilkind
  • flowerkind
  • alienkind
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- →