Where does “-el” come from?

-el (Low German) comes from Middle Low German -el, from Old Saxon -il, from Proto-Germanic -ilaz, from Proto-Indo-European -lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.

-el (Low German): Suffix forming nouns originally denoting an agent...

Definitions

  1. Suffix forming nouns originally denoting an agent...

Ancestry of “-el”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Low German-el—
2Old Saxon-il—
3Proto-Germanic-ilazagent suffix; diminutive suffix
4Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →Every word from Proto-Germanic -ilaz →Every word from Middle Low German -el →