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

Definitions

  1. evening

Ancestry of “e'en”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishevensmoothly, evenly
2Old Englishefnequal, level, even
3Proto-West Germanicebneven, level
4Proto-Germanicebnazeven, level
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁émnosequal, straight; flat, level, even

Words derived from “e'en”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁émnos →Every word from Proto-Germanic ebnaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic ebn →