Where does “-ée” come from?
-ée (French) comes from Middle French -ee, from Latin -eus, from Ancient Greek -εῖος, from Proto-Indo-European -iHwós, from Proto-Indo-European -wós — Creates adjectives from verb stems.
-ée (French): Forming feminine nouns having the sense of...
Definitions
- Forming feminine nouns having the sense of...
Ancestry of “-ée”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | -ee | forms a feminine noun indicating a quantity or content measured by what the base noun denotes, often translatable as |
| 2 | Latin | -eus | argentum + API → argenteus; ferrum + API →... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | -εῖος | Forms adjectives, usually with a meaning of "of"... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHwós | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -wós | Creates adjectives from verb stems |