Where does “answering” come from?
Answering comes from Middle English answeryng, formed with the Middle English suffix -ing from Old English -ing, itself from Old English -ung, ultimately from Proto-Germanic swarjaną meaning "to swear" and Proto-Indo-European swer-.
answering (English): present participle of answer; The act of giving...
Definitions
- present participle of answer; The act of giving...
Ancestry of “answering”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | answerynge | — |
| 2 | Middle English | answeren | To answer or respond; to offer a response; To be... |
| 3 | Old English | andswerian | to answer |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | andaswarjaną | to answer |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | anda- | against, opposing; un-, de- |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énti | opposite; near; in front |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |
Words derived from “answering”