Where does “-y” come from?

-y (English) comes from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.

-y (English): Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives...

Definitions

  1. Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives...

Ancestry of “-y”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
2Old English-iġ-y, -ic
3Proto-West Germanic-gForms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a...
4Proto-Germanic-gaz-y
5Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic

Words derived from “-y”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos →Every word from Old English -iġ →Every word from Middle English -y →