Where does “-cun” come from?
-cun (Middle English) comes from Old English -cynn, from Old English cynn, from Proto-West Germanic *kuni, from Proto-Germanic kunją, from Proto-Indo-European ǵn̥h₁yom, from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- — to produce, to beget, to give birth.
Ancestry of “-cun”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | -cynn | of or belonging to a specified race or family |
| 2 | Old English | cynn | kind; tribe, race, species; family |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *kuni | family, kin |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | kunją | kin, family, clan; omen, portent, miracle |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵn̥h₁yom | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵenh₁- | to produce, to beget, to give birth |