Where does “lengthen” come from?
Lengthen derives from Middle English -en combined with Old English length, which traces through Proto-Germanic jainaz and Proto-Indo-European roots related to extension and duration.
lengthen (English): To make longer, to extend the length of; To...
Definitions
- To make longer, to extend the length of; To...
Ancestry of “lengthen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 2 | Middle English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 3 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 4 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 5 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |
Words derived from “lengthen”