Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “motherhouse” come from?

motherhouse (English) comes from English mother, from Middle English modren, from Middle English -en, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz, from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos — adjectival suffix.

motherhouse (English): The monastery from which the other 'houses' of a...

Definitions

  1. The monastery from which the other 'houses' of a...

Ancestry of “motherhouse”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmotherA female who has given birth to a baby; A human...
2Middle Englishmodrenplural of moder
3Middle English-enDenotes the past participle form when attached to...
4Old English-enmæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;...
5Old Norse-innUsed to create adjectives from nouns, meaning...
6Proto-Norse-īna-—
7Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
8Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
9Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →