Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “end” come from?

End comes from Middle English ende, from Old English endian, from Proto-Germanic andijaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂en-, a root expressing notions of boundary or limit.

end (English): The terminal point of something in space or time;...

Definitions

  1. The terminal point of something in space or time;...

Ancestry of “end”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishendeThe end or finishing of a thing; the terminal...
2Old Englishendeend, limit, border, corner
3Proto-Germanicandiin addition, furthermore, and
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntiopposite; near; in front
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntsforehead; front
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ent-face; forehead; front
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto

Words derived from “end”

  • ending
  • weekend
  • Townsend
  • endpoint
  • unending
  • endgame
  • neverending
  • endnote
  • endplate
  • endif
  • endian
  • endwise
  • upend
  • bookend
  • yearend
  • endcap
  • unendingly
  • headend
  • Wallsend
  • endmember
  • deadend
  • endstage
  • endtime
  • endpaper
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →