Where does “brekefast” come from?
brekefast (Middle English) comes from Middle English fast, from Old English fæste, from Old English -e, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz, from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos — adjectival suffix.
brekefast (Middle English): breakfast
Definitions
- breakfast
Ancestry of “brekefast”, step by step
brekefast traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English fast
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | fast | fast quickly |
| 2 | Old English | fæste | firmly, fastly, tightly |
| 3 | Old English | -e | forming adverbs from adjectives; -ly |
| 4 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 5 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |