Where does “een” come from?
Even comes from Middle English even, Old English efn, and Proto-Germanic ēbandaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁epi meaning "upon" or "at," which also produced the form h₁eps.
een (English): plural of eye; even; evening
Definitions
- plural of eye; even; evening
Ancestry of “een”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Even | An ethnic Even: a member of an indigenous people... |
| 2 | Middle English | even | — |
| 3 | Old English | efn | equal, level, even |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | ebn | even, level |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | ebnaz | even, level |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁émnos | equal, straight; flat, level, even |