Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “-ant” come from?

-ant (Middle English) comes from Old English -ende, from Proto-West Germanic *-andī, from Proto-Germanic -andz, from Proto-Indo-European -ónts, from Hungarian önt, from Hungarian ön, from Hungarian ön-, from Turkish ön — sound, voice.

Ancestry of “-ant”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old English-endeequivalent of English -ing; suffix for present...
2Proto-West Germanic*-andī—
3Proto-Germanic-andz—
4Proto-Indo-European-óntsDerives nouns denoting body parts
5Hungarianöntto pour; to cast; accusative singular of ön
6Hungarianönyou
7Hungarianön-self-
8Turkishönfront
9Ottoman Turkishاوك—
10Proto-Turkicǖnsound, voice

Words derived from “-ant”

  • informant
  • compliant
  • buoyant
  • antidepressant
  • buoyancy
  • cognizant
  • lubricant
  • coolant
  • benignant
  • avoidant
  • propellant
  • tacrolimus
  • depressant
  • sealant
  • noncompliant
  • disputant
  • analysand
  • buoyantly
  • immunosuppressant
  • continuant
  • suppressant
  • nurturant
  • benignantly
  • dispersant
Every word from Proto-Turkic ǖn →