Where does “-esse” come from?
-esse (Middle Dutch) comes from Old French -esse, from Latin -issa, from Ancient Greek -ῐσσᾰ, from Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ, from Proto-Indo-European -íh₂, from Proto-Indo-European -h₂ — Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...
Ancestry of “-esse”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | -esse | ess used to form feminine nouns from masculine ones |
| 2 | Latin | -issa | |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | -ῐσσᾰ | femininizes masculine nouns in the first declension |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -ῐ́ᾱ | {{l|en|-ia}}; "suffix forming abstract feminine... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -íh₂ | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -h₂ | Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups... |