Where does “-ey” come from?

-ey (Icelandic) comes from Old Norse ey, from Proto-Norse *ᚨᚢᛃᚢ, from Proto-Germanic awjō, from Proto-Germanic agwjō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ — water.

-ey (Icelandic): suffix forming female given names

Definitions

  1. suffix forming female given names

Ancestry of “-ey”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norseeyalways, ever; island
2Proto-Norse*ᚨᚢᛃᚢ—
3Proto-Germanicawjōfloodplain; meadow; island
4Proto-Germanicagwjō—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water

Words derived from “-ey”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ →Every word from Proto-Germanic agwjō →Every word from Proto-Germanic awjō →