Where does “-something” come from?

-something (English) comes from English something, from Middle English somþyng, from Old English sum, from Proto-West Germanic *sum, from Proto-Germanic sumaz, from Proto-Indo-European sem- — together, one.

-something (English): Indicating approximation, as in a range of...

Definitions

  1. Indicating approximation, as in a range of...

Ancestry of “-something”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsomethingAn uncertain or unspecified thing; one thing; A...
2Middle Englishsomþyngsomething
3Old Englishsumsome
4Proto-West Germanic*sumsome
5Proto-Germanicsumazsome (one), a certain (one)
6Proto-Indo-Europeansem-together, one

Words derived from “-something”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European sem- →Every word from Proto-Germanic sumaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *sum →
-something — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer