Where does “winner” come from?
Winner derives from Middle English wynner, formed with the Middle English agent suffix -er from Old French -er, ultimately from Latin -ārius, a suffix denoting an agent or one who performs an action.
winner (English): One who has won or often wins; A point or goal...
Definitions
- One who has won or often wins; A point or goal...
Ancestry of “winner”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | wynner | A labourer or worker; One who overprices goods; A... |
| 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 |