Where does “-el” come from?
-el (Middle English) comes from Old French -el, from Latin -ellus, from Latin -ulus, from Proto-Italic -olos, from Proto-Italic -elos, from Proto-Indo-European -e-lós, from Proto-Indo-European -lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
Ancestry of “-el”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | -el | Suffix that usually denotes a masculine noun |
| 2 | Latin | -ellus | Alternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine... |
| 3 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -elos | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |