Where does “Pennsylvanian” come from?
Pennsylvanian derives from Pennsylvania, formed in English from Latin Pennsylvānia, combining Latin Penny- and Latin sylva meaning forest with the Latin suffix -anus.
Pennsylvanian (English): A native or resident of the state of Pennsylvania...
Definitions
- A native or resident of the state of Pennsylvania...
Ancestry of “Pennsylvanian”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Pennsylvania | which grew progressively larger before becoming the present state |
| 2 | English | -ia | Used in forming names of countries, diseases,... |
| 3 | Latin | -ia | Used to form a feminine abstract noun, usually... |
| 4 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |