Where does “efen-” come from?

efen- (Middle English) comes from Old English efen-, from Proto-Germanic ebna-, from Proto-Germanic ebnaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₁émnos — equal, straight; flat, level, even.

Ancestry of “efen-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishefen-equal, equally; level, even; fellow-, used to add...
2Proto-Germanicebna-like-, level, equal-
3Proto-Germanicebnazeven, level
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁émnosequal, straight; flat, level, even
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁émnos →Every word from Proto-Germanic ebnaz →Every word from Old English efen- →