Where does “neverending” come from?
Neverending combines English never, from Old English næfre (ne, "not" + a form related to Proto-Germanic andijaz), and English end, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂ent- meaning "to go forward."
neverending (English): Having no end or being endless
Definitions
- Having no end or being endless
Ancestry of “neverending”, step by step
neverending traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ending
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ending | A termination or conclusion; The last part of... |
| 2 | Middle English | ending | Alternative form of endyng |
| 3 | Middle English | endyng | An ending, termination, or conclusion;... |
| 4 | Old English | endung | ending |
| 5 | Old English | endian | to end, make an end of; to finish, complete; to... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | andijōną | to end, bring to an end, finish |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | andijaz | end |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂entíos | front; forehead |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |