Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “rainfast” come from?

rainfast (English) comes from English fast, from Middle English fast, from Old English fæste, from Old English -e, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz — adjectival suffix.

rainfast (English): That is not washed off by the rain

Definitions

  1. That is not washed off by the rain

Ancestry of “rainfast”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfastFirmly or securely fixed in place; stable; Firm...
2Middle Englishfastfast
3Old Englishfæste—
4Old English-eforming adverbs from adjectives; -ly
5Old English-enmæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;...
6Old Norse-innUsed to create adjectives from nouns, meaning...
7Proto-Norse-īna-—
8Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
9Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
10Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →