Where does “-an” come from?
-an (Icelandic) comes from Old Norse -an, from Proto-Germanic -ōniz, from Proto-Germanic -niz, from Proto-Indo-European -nis.
Ancestry of “-an”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | -an | Used to derive nouns from class 2 weak verbs;... |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | -ōniz | Forms abstract nouns from weak class 2 verbs |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | -niz | Forms abstract nouns from verbal roots and stems |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -nis | — |