Where does “-ing” come from?

-ing (Low German) comes from Middle Low German -inc, from Old Saxon -ing, from Proto-West Germanic *-ing, from Proto-Germanic -ingaz — Forms derivatives of nouns with sense of...

-ing (Low German): Used to form diminutives

Definitions

  1. Used to form diminutives

Ancestry of “-ing”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Low German-inc—
2Old Saxon-ing—
3Proto-West Germanic*-ingpatronymic suffix
4Proto-Germanic-ingazForms derivatives of nouns with sense of...
Every word from Proto-Germanic -ingaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *-ing →Every word from Middle Low German -inc →