Where does “nunnery” come from?
Nunnery comes from Middle English nonnery, meaning a convent or house for nuns.
nunnery (English): a place of residence for nuns; a convent; a...
Definitions
- a place of residence for nuns; a convent; a...
Ancestry of “nunnery”, step by step
nunnery traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English nonnerie
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | nonnerie | A nunnery monastery for nuns |
| 2 | Middle English | -erie | — |
| 3 | Old French | -erie | used to form feminine nouns |
| 4 | Old French | -ie | indicates a feminine noun, often an abstract one |
| 5 | Latin | -ia | Used to form a feminine abstract noun, usually... |
| 6 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |
via Middle English nonnery
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | nonnery | — |