Where does “-ish” come from?
-ish (Middle English) comes from Old English -isċ, from Proto-West Germanic -isk, from Proto-Germanic -iskaz, from Proto-Indo-European -iskos — Characteristic of, typical of, pertaining to.
-ish (Middle English): Alternative form of -yssh
Definitions
- Alternative form of -yssh
Ancestry of “-ish”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | -isċ | -ish |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | -isk | Creates adjectives from nouns |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | -iskaz | Forms adjectives from nouns with the sense of... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -iskos | Characteristic of, typical of, pertaining to |
Words derived from “-ish”