Where does “-re” come from?

-re (Middle English) comes from Old English -ru, from Proto-Germanic -izō — er.

-re (Middle English): Used to form the plural of the z-stem nouns

Definitions

  1. Used to form the plural of the z-stem nouns

Ancestry of “-re”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old English-ruUsed to form the nominative/accusative plural of z-stem nouns
2Proto-Germanic-izōer
Every word from Proto-Germanic -izō →Every word from Old English -ru →
-re — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer