Where does “happy ending” come from?

happy ending (English) comes from English ending, from Middle English ending, from Middle English endyng, from Old English endung, from Old English endian, from Proto-Germanic andijōną, from Proto-Germanic andijaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂entíos — on, onto.

happy ending (English): A clichéd conclusion in which all loose ends are...

Definitions

  1. A clichéd conclusion in which all loose ends are...

Ancestry of “happy ending”, step by step

happy ending traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English ending

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishendingA termination or conclusion; The last part of...
2Middle EnglishendingAlternative form of endyng
3Middle EnglishendyngAn ending, termination, or conclusion;...
4Old Englishendungending
5Old Englishendianto end, make an end of; to finish, complete; to...
6Proto-Germanicandijōnąto end, bring to an end, finish
7Proto-Germanicandijazend
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂entíosfront; forehead
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ent-face; forehead; front
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto

via English happy

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishhappyHaving a feeling arising from a consciousness of...
2Middle Englishhappyfortunate, happy
3Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
4Old English-iġ-y, -ic
5Proto-West Germanic-gForms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a...
6Proto-Germanic-gaz-y
7Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic

via English End

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishEndA key that when pressed causes the cursor to go...
2Middle EnglishendeThe end or finishing of a thing; the terminal...
3Old Englishendeend, limit, border, corner
4Proto-Germanicandiin addition, furthermore, and
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntiopposite; near; in front
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntsforehead; front
7Proto-Indo-European-sDerives nouns from roots

Words derived from “happy ending

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en-Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ent-Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂entíos