Where does “-hood” come from?

-hood (Middle English) comes from Middle English -hede, from Old English -hād, from Proto-West Germanic -haidu, from Proto-Germanic haiduz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kayt-.

-hood (Middle English): Alternative form of -hede

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of -hede

Ancestry of “-hood”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle English-hedeAffixed to nouns and adjectives to form nouns...
2Old English-hād-hood
3Proto-West Germanic-haiduhood
4Proto-Germanichaiduzmanner, way; personality, character; appearance
5Proto-Indo-European(s)kayt-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kayt- →Every word from Proto-Germanic haiduz →Every word from Middle English -hede →