Where does “sweetener” come from?
Sweetener comes from English sweeten, formed with the English suffix -en from Middle English sweet, which derives from Latin -arius and Latin -are, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sweyd- meaning to sweat or burn.
sweetener (English): Something added to food to sweeten its taste,...
Definitions
- Something added to food to sweeten its taste,...
Ancestry of “sweetener”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 2 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 3 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 4 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 9 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |