Where does “e'en” come from?
e'en (English) comes from Middle English even, from Old English efn, from Proto-West Germanic ebn, from Proto-Germanic ebnaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₁émnos — equal, straight; flat, level, even.
e'en (English): evening
Ancestry of “e'en”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | even | — |
| 2 | Old English | efn | equal, level, even |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | ebn | even, level |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | ebnaz | even, level |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁émnos | equal, straight; flat, level, even |