Where does “brighten” come from?
Brighten derives from Middle English -en and Old English beorht, from Proto-Indo-European bʰereg-, with the causative suffix -en from Proto-Indo-European en-.
brighten (English): To make bright or brighter in color; To make...
Definitions
- To make bright or brighter in color; To make...
Ancestry of “brighten”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | bright | Visually dazzling; luminous, lucent, clear,... |
| 2 | Middle English | bright | — |
| 3 | Old English | beorht | bright, clear |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *berht | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | berhtaz | bright, shining |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hrabnaz | raven |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱorh₂- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |
Words derived from “brighten”