Where does “undertrodden” come from?
undertrodden (English) comes from English trodden, from English tread, from Middle English treden, from Middle English -en, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz — adjectival suffix.
Ancestry of “undertrodden”, step by step
undertrodden traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English trodden
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | trodden | crushed by being walked on; past participle of... |
| 2 | English | tread | To step or walk (on or across something); to trample |
| 3 | Middle English | treden | To place one's foot on something; to lay a step... |
| 4 | Middle English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 5 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 6 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 7 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |