Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “deadening” come from?

Deadening derives from the English verb deaden, formed from the Old English adjective dēad with the Middle English suffix -en, ultimately from Proto-Germanic daudaz and Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "to make dead or less lively."

deadening (English): present participle of deaden; The process by...

Definitions

  1. present participle of deaden; The process by...

Ancestry of “deadening”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdeadenTo render less lively; to diminish; to muffle; To...
2EnglishdeadNo longer living; Devoid of life; Figuratively,...
3English-enDenotes the past participle form when attached to...
4Middle English-enDenotes the past participle form when attached to...
5Old English-enmæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;...
6Old Norse-innUsed to create adjectives from nouns, meaning...
7Proto-Norse-īna-—
8Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
9Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
10Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix

Words derived from “deadening”

  • deadeningly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →