Where does “-ys” come from?

-ys (Middle English) comes from Middle English -esse, from Old French -esse, from Latin -issa, from Ancient Greek -ῐσσᾰ, from Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ, from Proto-Indo-European -íh₂, from Proto-Indo-European -h₂ — Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...

-ys (Middle English): Alternative form of -yssh; Alternative form of...

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of -yssh; Alternative form of...

Ancestry of “-ys”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle English-esseDenotes a female form of otherwise male nouns...
2Old French-esseess used to form feminine nouns from masculine ones
3Latin-issa
4Ancient Greek-ῐσσᾰfemininizes masculine nouns in the first declension
5Ancient Greek-ῐ́ᾱ{{l|en|-ia}}; "suffix forming abstract feminine...
6Proto-Indo-European-íh₂
7Proto-Indo-European-h₂Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -h₂Every word from Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱEvery word from Latin -issa