Where does “終止形” come from?

終止形 (Japanese) comes from Japanese なり, from Japanese に, from Old Japanese に.

終止形 (Japanese): an inflectional category; the conclusive form

Definitions

  1. an inflectional category; the conclusive form

Ancestry of “終止形”, step by step

終止形 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese なり

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japaneseなりc. late 9th–mid-10th century, Taketori...
2Japaneseにparticle for indirect objects; to; particle for...
3Old Japaneseに—

via Japanese 聡い

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese聡いclever, keen, smart, quick on the uptake
Every word from Old Japanese に →Every word from Japanese に →Every word from Japanese なり →