Where does “nigel” come from?
nigel (English) comes from Latin Nigellus, from Latin -lus, from Proto-Italic -elos, from Proto-Indo-European -e-lós, from Proto-Indo-European -lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
Ancestry of “nigel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | Nigellus | — |
| 2 | Latin | -lus | Alternative form of -ulus; diminutive suffix |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | -elos | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |