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
brighten traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English bright
| 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 |
via Old English beorhtian
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | beorhtian | to shine, brighten |
| 2 | Old English | -ian | Forms verbs from nouns and adjectives |
| 3 | Old English | -ōjan | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | -ōn | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 9 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |