Where does “fainter” come from?
Fainter derives from English faint plus the agent suffix -er, tracing through Old French -er, Latin -are and -arius, to Proto-Indo-European dʰeyǵʰ-.
fainter (English): comparative form of faint: more faint; One who...
Definitions
- comparative form of faint: more faint; One who...
Ancestry of “fainter”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 2 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 3 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 4 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 9 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |