Where does “at-” come from?

at- (Middle English) comes from Old English æt-, from Old English æt, from Proto-Turkic āt, from Proto-Germanic ētą, from Proto-Germanic etaną, from Proto-Indo-European h₁édti, from Proto-Indo-European h₁ed- — to eat.

at- (Middle English): Prefix meaning away; toward; to; Prefix meaning...

Definitions

  1. Prefix meaning away; toward; to; Prefix meaning...

Ancestry of “at-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishæt-at, near; toward; away, off; to
2Old Englishæteating; at a certain place; at a certain time
3Proto-Turkicātname
4Proto-Germanicētąthe act of eating; food
5Proto-Germanicetanąto eat
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁édtito eat
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁ed-to eat
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁ed- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁édti →Every word from Proto-Germanic etaną →