Where does “an” come from?

an (German) comes from Middle High German āne, from Old High German āna, from Proto-West Germanic ana, from Proto-Germanic *an, from Proto-Germanic ana, from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- — on, onto.

an (German): on; upon; at; in; against; by; near; close to;...

Definitions

  1. on; upon; at; in; against; by; near; close to;...

Ancestry of “an”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanānewithout
2Old High Germanānawithout
3Proto-West Germanicanaon
4Proto-Germanic*an—
5Proto-Germanicanaon, at; on, onto; ana
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto

Words derived from “an”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →