Where does “lesser” come from?
Lesser derives from English less with the comparative suffix -er, which comes from Old French -er, ultimately from Latin -arius and -us through Proto-Italic -os.
lesser (English): Of two (or, rarely, more than two) things: the smaller in size (littler), in value, in importance etc
Definitions
- Of two (or, rarely, more than two) things: the smaller in size (littler), in value, in importance etc
Ancestry of “lesser”, 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 |