Where does “an” come from?
an (Low German) comes from Middle Low German an, from Old Saxon an, from Proto-Germanic *an, from Proto-Germanic ana, from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- — on, onto.
an (Low German): on; to, at
Ancestry of “an”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle Low German | an | on |
| 2 | Old Saxon | an | on, in |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | *an | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | ana | on, at; on, onto; ana |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |