Where does “gentilician” come from?
gentilician (English) comes from English ān, from Middle English ān, from Old English ān, from Proto-West Germanic ain, from Proto-Germanic ainaz, from Proto-Indo-European óynos — one; single.
Ancestry of “gentilician”, step by step
gentilician traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ān
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ān | — |
| 2 | Middle English | ān | a, an indefinite article |
| 3 | Old English | ān | lonely; entirely alone, solitary, single; one |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | ain | one |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | ainaz | one; some |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | óynos | one; single |
via Latin gentilicius
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | gentilicius | belonging to a particular Roman gens; tribal,... |
| 2 | Latin | -icius | -itious |
| 3 | Latin | -icus | belonging to; derived from; of or pertaining to;... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -ικός | of or pertaining to, in the manner of; -ic |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -κός | forms adjectives with the sense of 'of or... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |