Where does “-th” come from?

-th (Middle English) comes from Old English -þ, from Old English -þu, from Proto-West Germanic -iþu, from Proto-Germanic -iþō, from Proto-Indo-European -iteh₂ — -th.

-th (Middle English): th, -ness

Definitions

  1. th, -ness

Ancestry of “-th”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old English-þforming abstract nouns from verbs, adjectives or...
2Old English-þuforming abstract nouns from verbs, adjectives or...
3Proto-West Germanic-iþuForms abstract nouns from verbs, adjectives or...
4Proto-Germanic-iþō-ness, -th
5Proto-Indo-European-iteh₂-th
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -iteh₂ →Every word from Proto-Germanic -iþō →Every word from Proto-West Germanic -iþu →