Where does “needn't've” come from?
needn't've (English) comes from English needn’t, from English -n’t, from English Not, from Middle English not, from Middle English nought, from Old English nōwiht, from Old English ne, from Old English ealles — Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...
Ancestry of “needn't've”, step by step
needn't've traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English needn’t
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | needn’t | Need not |
| 2 | English | -n’t | — |
| 3 | English | Not | — |
| 4 | Middle English | not | not; nothing, nought; nobody, no person |
| 5 | Middle English | nought | nothing, none; not; iniquitous, wicked |
| 6 | Old English | nōwiht | — |
| 7 | Old English | ne | not; or, and not; "ne... ne..." is used to mean "... |
| 8 | Old English | ealles | completely, wholly, entirely; totally,... |
| 9 | Old English | -es | possessive marker, indicating that an object... |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | -as | used in formation of adverbs |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |
via English ’ve
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ’ve | in its sense marking the perfect or retrospective aspect |