Where does “-en” come from?

-en (Middle English) comes from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz, from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos, from Proto-Indo-European -no- — adjectival suffix.

-en (Middle English): Denotes the past participle form when attached to...

Definitions

  1. Denotes the past participle form when attached to...

Ancestry of “-en”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old English-enmæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;...
2Old Norse-innUsed to create adjectives from nouns, meaning...
3Proto-Norse-īna-—
4Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
5Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
6Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix

Words derived from “-en”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →Every word from Proto-Germanic -īnaz →Every word from Old English -en →