Where does “-the” come from?
-the (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.
Ancestry of “-the”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | -þ | forming abstract nouns from verbs, adjectives or... |
| 2 | Old English | -þu | forming abstract nouns from verbs, adjectives or... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | -iþu | Forms abstract nouns from verbs, adjectives or... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | -iþō | -ness, -th |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -iteh₂ | -th |