Where does “an” come from?

an (Middle Dutch) comes from Middle Dutch āne, from Old Dutch āna, from Proto-West Germanic ana, from Proto-Germanic *an, from Proto-Germanic ana, from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- — on, onto.

an (Middle Dutch): Alternative form of āne

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of āne

Ancestry of “an”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Dutchāneon, on top of
2Old Dutchāna—
3Proto-West Germanicanaon
4Proto-Germanic*an—
5Proto-Germanicanaon, at; on, onto; ana
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →Every word from Proto-Germanic ana →Every word from Proto-Germanic *an →