Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “-kins” come from?

-kins (English) comes from English -s, from Middle English -es, from Old English -es, from Proto-Germanic -as, from Proto-Indo-European -ēs, from Proto-Indo-European -ess, from Proto-Indo-European -os — Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...

-kins (English): Forming diminutives of nouns

Definitions

  1. Forming diminutives of nouns

Ancestry of “-kins”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-sUsed to form regular plurals of nouns; Used to...
2Middle English-esAlternative form of -yssh; Alternative form of...
3Old English-espossessive marker, indicating that an object...
4Proto-Germanic-as—
5Proto-Indo-European-ēsPrimarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds
6Proto-Indo-European-ess—
7Proto-Indo-European-osCreates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...

Words derived from “-kins”

  • babykins
  • motherkins
  • daddykins
  • fatherkins
  • sillykins
  • mummykins
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -os →